Highland Park shooting survivors who will testify at trial allowed to attend entirety of proceedings

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- A judge Thursday ruled in favor of prosecutors who sought to allow survivors of the 2022 Highland Park parade shooting, who are also testifying in the upcoming trial, to be in the courtroom throughout proceedings.

Robert Crimo III was back in a Lake County courtroom Thursday morning for what was his last pre-trial hearing.

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Judge Victoria Rossetti invoked the Illinois Crime Victims' Bill of Rights, as she ruled in favor of allowing witnesses, who were also victims of the July Fourth massacre in Highland Park, to be present even before their own testimony.

Attorney Antonio Romanucci represents many of them in their civil lawsuits.

"For them to be there and to have this cathartic experience of watching the whole trial was extremely important, and we're very grateful the judge entered this motion that they will be allowed to participate and sit in the trial," Romanucci said.

Crimo's defense team opposed the move.

This is a trial that has been a long time coming, especially for victims and victims' families.

Crimo is charged with 117 criminal counts of murder and attempted murder. He's accused of firing a rifle into a crowd at Highland Park's July Fourth parade in 2022, killing seven and injuring dozens of others.

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Investigators also accuse Crimo of planning the attack for weeks.

A videotaped confession, portions of which have already been played in court, is expected to be heard by jurors once proceedings get underway.

Prosecutors have said nearly all of the 48 survivors from that day plan to testify.

Typically, witnesses are not allowed in the courtroom until after their own testimony is complete.

"If you have someone eventually take the stand at trial, a victim. And they've previously heard other testimony, it's at least arguable what they say can be affected by what they heard. Maybe they'll fashion their testimony to correspond to what they heard before," ABC7 Chicago legal analyst Gil Soffer said. "If you're a victim, you do have the right to sit through trial, just as an accused sits through trial, even if you are later going to testify."

In this case, prosecutors are expected to base their identification of Crimo as the shooter on surveillance video and the testimony of a former school resource officer who knew him.

"The court finds victim testimonies would not be materially affected by being in the courtroom while other victims testify," Rossetti said.

Jury selection for the trial begins on Monday.

The trial is expected to run for at least four weeks.

Last year, Crimo rejected a plea deal in a stunning court hearing.