Jury selection for deadly Highland Park parade shooting trial to begin Monday
7 killed, at least 40 injured in shooting July 4, 2022
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of the man accused in the deadly 2022 Highland Park parade shooting.
Survivors of the shooting are preparing to face the alleged shooter as his case finally heads to trial.
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Robert Crimo III is charged with killing seven people and injuring more than 40 people on July 4, 2022. He faces 117 counts, including murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery.
Last year, Crimo rejected a plea deal that would have put him behind bars for the rest of his life in a stunning court hearing.
Now, Crimo's fate will be placed in the hands of a jury, which will be selected Monday.
A judge ruled last week survivors will be allowed to be in the courtroom throughout proceedings, even before their testimonies take place.
"If you're a victim, you do have a right to sit through trial just as an accuser sits through trial even if you're later going to testify," ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said.
Typically, witnesses are not allowed in the courtroom until after their own testimony is complete. Judge Victoria Rossetti invoked the Illinois Crime Victims' Bill of Rights.
"The Victims' Bill of Rights is very clear," Soffer said. "It creates a presumption that victims are entitled to attend all of trial when really it's on the defense to prove that it would materially affect their testimony."
Crimo's defense team opposed the move.
READ MORE | Alleged Highland Park shooter's comments to police after mass shooting to be allowed during trial
The trial comes nearly three years since a shooter fired into a crowd of people at the Highland Park July Fourth Parade, and the northern suburb was changed forever.
The new chapter will hopefully be an ending that will bring peace and closure to a community still healing.
The trial is expected to last at least a month.
Prosecutors have said nearly all of the 48 survivors from the shooting plan to testify.
