7 killed, dozens wounded in 4th of July parade shooting
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- The suspect in the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting pleaded guilty Monday.
Robert Crimo III killed seven people and wounded dozens in the mass shooting.
He changed his plea to guilty on all counts as the trial was set to continue with opening statements Monday.
The trial in Waukegan was expected to last weeks.
Stick with ABC7 Chicago for the latest updates.
A sentencing hearing for Crimo is set for April 23 at 9 a.m.
Many of the survivors are expected to read victim impact statements in court at that time.
Residents say while no plea can repair the lives shattered by the event, it does lift a cloud hanging over and allows people to heal.
The normalcy of life bounced back quickly in Highland Park. Yet, emotions two-and-a-half years after the deadly Fourth of July shooting remain raw for some residents.
Iris Morgan and her twin sister attended the parade in 2022.
"It will never be in past. This is where it happened," Morgan said, who became emotional while standing near where the shooting took place.
Chad Zamost worked through his emotions with a song he wrote called "Independence Day."
"I specifically wanted the song not to necessarily be about the shooting itself, but about the feelings that we all had afterwards," Zamost said.
Highland Park residents say Crimo's guilty plea allows them to move forward.
"There will never be full closure, but it's certainly, it's good thing that it's the first step ahead, and people don't have to hear about a trial and watch it every single day on the news," said Highland Park resident Danny Zamost.
"I'm thrilled to death it is over," said North Shore resident Ted Willen.
"It will save the taxpayers a lot of money, time and effort and hopefully we can move on from this in a gentler way," Morgan said.
While the guilty plea helps this community to heal and move on, residents say what will remain is the resilience that came out of the tragedy.
"It really warned warmed my heart and made me very proud to be a resident here," said Highland Park resident and business owner Chloe Mendel Corgan.
Like so many Highland Park residents coming together to help after the mass shooting, Mendel Corgan and her husband, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, raised money by holding a concert at their tea shop Madame ZuZu's.
"The only way we knew how to help was the music gathering, great food, tea, so we put on a fundraiser," Mendel Corgan said.
Others also put their grief into action. Kitty Brandtner started the nonpartisan organization March Fourth in an effort to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban.
"This is an American epidemic, and it's preventable. So, I know so many amazing folks from this community who have stood up to say, 'no more,'" Brandtner said.
Whether it is publicly fighting for an assault weapons ban or quietly moving on in their own way, Highland Park residents say one thing they have learned from the tragedy is a mass shooting can happen any day or anywhere.
Prosecutors say they had a mountain of evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, eyewitnesses, video and a confession. They say they were ready for trial and were confident they would win.
"We believe what we were about to present to the jury was absolutely going to convict him," said Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart.
Rinehart said the change in plea was not a result of a plea deal.
"This was not a negotiation. This was not a deal. He made a free decision to plead guilty to every single count that this trial team and this law enforcement team was about to present to this jury. He received nothing in exchange for this plea today."
Last June, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office believed they had a deal for Crimo to plead guilty. That fell through.
The final alternate was selected, completing the jury Wednesday evening.
He's a man who works as a cook, and lives with his mother.
He also plays video games.
The jury is comprised of retirees, suburban mothers and fathers, several gun owners and video game enthusiasts.
Legal experts say Crimo is hurting his case by skipping the proceedings.
"What if we have a scenario where one week he's there, one week he's not? The jury's going to, instead of concentrating on guilt or innocence, the issue is he going to show up or not," criminal attorney Steve Simonian said.
If convicted, Crimo is expected to get life in prison, with no possibility of parole: all the more reason experts say Crimo should be in court.
"He's not able to participate in something with such high stakes," Simonian said.
Public defender Gregory Ticsay met with Crimo's father Wednesday, and urged him to get his son to come to court.
The 5th alternate has been selected.
He is a man who says he owns a gun for self-defense.
His daughter was working inside a building in downtown Highland Park at the time of the parade shooting. She told her father she saw people running scared down the street.
One more alternate is needed.
A Lake County mother has been selected as the fourth alternate juror.
She spoke about the Highland Park parade shooting, saying, "I remember the shock; it was very sad, shocking, disturbing. The incident itself was terrifying."
There are now two men and two women serving as alternates.
