WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The man accused of opening fire on a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade, killing seven people, is about to stand trial, nearly three years after the attack.
Jury selection started Monday after several delays. Part of the reason is the erratic behavior of the defendant, Robert Crimo III, which has raised questions about what to expect at trial for the 2022 mass shooting.
Opening statements are expected next week.
Authorities allege a gunman perched on a roof shot at crowds assembled for a Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, a wealthy suburb 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Chicago.
Seven people were killed in the 2022 shooting, including both parents of a toddler. Dozens more were wounded. They ranged in age from their 80s down to a then- 8-year-old boy who was left partially paralyzed.
Witnesses described confusion as shots rang out, followed by terror as families abandoned the parade route, leaving behind lawn chairs and strollers to find safety inside homes and businesses.
City leaders canceled the parade the following year but reinstated it in 2024 with a memorial for the victims.
Mayor Nancy Rotering has said the city doesn’t want to be defined by the mass shooting. This month, she announced the parade will return in July, but without fireworks, partly because of “community trauma.”
“This year’s parade theme reminds us that teams bring people together in support of a common goal, and that we are most resilient when we support each other,” Rotering said.
Killed in the shooting were: Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.
Crimo was initially charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder — three counts for each person killed — as well as 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. But on Monday, Lake County prosecutors sought to drop the less serious aggravated battery counts. They briefly noted the move ahead of jury selection without any explanation. Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti signed the one-page order to dismiss the charges.
The Lake County state’s attorney’s office declined to comment Monday.
Prosecutors have turned over about 10,000 pages of evidence, as well as hours of a video-taped interrogation during which police say Crimo confessed to the shooting. But the 24-year-old Crimo has since pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal.
Court proceedings have made parts of the interrogation public, and defense attorneys tried unsuccessfully to have the videos thrown out, alleging Crimo’s rights were being violated.
Videos show officers repeatedly asking Crimo if he understood his Miranda rights, which include the right to remain silent and have an attorney present.
“I’ve heard them a million times,” Crimo said at one point.
Prosecutors also have shown footage of a person dressed in women’s clothing and identified by police as Crimo headed toward the parade route on the morning of July 4, 2022.
Something that could also hurt the defense is Crimo’s unpredictable behavior in court.
He didn’t show up to two previous court hearings, refusing to leave his Lake County jail cell. And in June 2024, when he was expected to accept a plea deal and give victims and relatives a chance to address him publicly, he showed up to court in a wheelchair and rejected the deal, surprising even his lawyers. He also fired his public defenders and said he would represent himself, then abruptly reversed himself.
“Anything could happen at this point,” said Eric Johnson, a law professor at the University of Illinois.
Crimo’s defense attorneys and Lake County prosecutors have repeatedly declined comment ahead of the trial.
Crimo appeared in court Monday, wearing a suit and tie, clean shaven and with his hair cut short. He occasionally looked at jurors as they were being questioned and appeared to be jotting things down on paper. His parents sat in the row behind him.
Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty in 2023 to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. The charges focused on how his son obtained a gun license.
In 2019, at age 19, Crimo III was only allowed to apply for a gun license with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father agreed, even though a relative had reported to police that his son had a collection of knives and had threatened to “kill everyone.”
Crimo Jr., a onetime mayoral candidate and former owner of a now-closed deli, has attended his son’s court hearings, making eye contact with him during hearings. He declined to discuss the case in detail.
“As a parent, I love my son very much and Bobby loves this country more than anyone would ever know,” he said during a phone interview. “I have no further comment.”
Potential jurors reported to the courthouse in Waukegan on Monday. The process began slowly, first with filling out extensive juror questionnaires followed by questioning by the judge and attorneys. Only three jurors were chosen by lunch Monday. Jury selection for the panel of 12 and six alternates is expected to last several days.
Opening statements are scheduled for next week in what attorneys expect to be a roughly monthlong trial. But the high-profile nature of the case could complicate efforts to find a jury. All six of those who appeared for questioning Monday morning had heard of the shooting when it first happened, even one who was traveling to Greece at the time.
Survivors and their families have filed multiple lawsuits, including against the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting and against authorities they accuse of negligence.
Those who have spoken out declined interviews ahead of the trial. Some are expected to testify, along with police and a former school resource officer who encountered Crimo during middle and high school.
Experts say attorneys will have to approach juror selection with extra care.
“There is information that’s out there,” said Alan Tuerkheimer, who consults lawyers on jury strategy but isn’t involved in the trial. “This is the kind of thing that has affected people in the community.”
