Man charged in mass shooting at Fourth of July parade near Chicago to stand trial next February

2024-12-24 09:54:49 source: category:Back

CHICAGO (AP) — The man accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens more, including children, at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago in 2022 will stand trial next February, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Robert Crimo III is charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery for the shooting in Highland Park. Judge Victoria Rossetti on Wednesday scheduled his trial to begin Feb. 24, 2025.

Crimo would face a mandatory sentence of life without parole if convicted of first-degree murder.

Authorities have said Crimo, 23, confessed to police in the days after he opened fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, terrifying parade participants and spectators. Authorities have said he initially fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area and contemplated a second shooting at a parade there but returned to Chicago’s northern suburbs.

READ MORE After 2-year-old girl shoots self, man becomes first person charged under Michigan’s gun storage law Rape and sexual assault took place during Hamas attack, Israeli association says Woman who says she was abused spiritually and sexually by a once-famous Jesuit demands transparency

Wednesday’s scheduling decision followed several months of uncertainty about a timeline for the accused gunman’s trial.

Crimo fired his public defense attorneys in December, telling Judge Victoria Rossetti that he would represent himself. He also demanded an earlier trial date. But a few weeks later, he asked the judge to reinstate his attorneys.

Lake County prosecutors said Wednesday that they could be prepared for an earlier start this fall. Rossetti declined, saying both sides had agreed to a February 2025 start date before Crimo’s brief insistence on representing himself.

Rossetti scheduled a hearing for April 24 to discuss attorneys’ progress preparing for trial.

More:Back

Recommend

Powell says Fed will likely cut rates cautiously given persistent inflation pressures

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that the Federal Reserve will likely cut its key

Teen stabbed to death on New York City MTA bus, police say

A teenager was killed after another teen stabbed him on a New York City public bus in what is believ

Tensions Rise in the Rio Grande Basin as Mexico Lags in Water Deliveries to the U.S.

This story, reported with a grant from The Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder, is publ