Highland Park parade shooter pleads guilty, faces life in prison: ‘Important step toward justice’

Just moments before opening statements were set to begin in his trial Monday, the Highwood man accused of killing seven spectators in a mass shooting at Highland Park’s 2022 Independence Day parade pleaded guilty and now faces the certainty of life in prison.

Robert Crimo III, 23, admitted guilt to 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted murder for fire dozens of shots from a high-powered rifle into the crowd.

Highland Park residents Katherine Goldstein, 64; Stephen Straus, 88; Jacquelyn “Jacki” Sundheim, 63; and Kevin McCarthy, 37, and his wife Irina McCarthy, 35, were killed in the shooting. Also killed were Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, of Morelos, Mexico, and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69, of Waukegan.

The plea comes after Lake County prosecutors and the defendant’s lawyers spent last week selecting 12 jurors and six alternates to hear his trial, which was expected to last as long as six weeks.

Under state law, the suspect will receive a life term when sentenced April 23.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering called the guilty plea “an important step toward justice, but does not erase the pain.”

“Our thoughts and hearts remain with the families whose loved ones were senselessly taken, those who were injured, and everyone whose lives were forever changed by this horrific act,” Rotering said in a written statement.

The defendant, who has been incarcerated in the Lake County jail since his arrest, answered a clear, quiet “yes” to questions Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti posed about his understanding of his guilty plea and the mandatory life sentence that accompanies it.

He also indicated he had discussed his change of plea with his attorneys, that he was not on any medication and that no one had threatened him or promised him anything of value in return for admitting guilt.

At the announcement that her son intended to change his plea, the defendant’s mother made an indistinguishable vocal expression. That prompted Rossetti to remind her to control her emotions.

“You are not a party to this proceeding,” the judge said. “If you would like to stay in this courtroom please have a seat and be quiet.”

The defendant’s guilty plea marks the beginning of a path to healing, said survivor Ashbey Beasley, who was in the courtroom for Monday’s hearing. She said survivors and victims’ family members felt a “huge sense of relief” upon hearing the defendant’s guilty plea.

The relief comes in part from not having to relive the trauma they experienced that day, said Beasley, who was with her then 6-year-old son when they heard the shots and ran for their lives.

“Every time I see him it’s stressful,” she said. “Knowing a plea has been entered, we don’t have to see him again.”

Beasley hopes that the tragedy will prompt common sense gun legislation on the federal level.

“It’s important to learn that this could happen to any of us,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, a Highland Park resident who was at the parade the day of the shooting, said Monday’s plea helps bring a sense of closure to the community.

“July 4, 2022 left a deep scar on the Highland Park community, one that will never fully heal,” he said in a written statement. “But with the strength of a united community, the love from neighboring villages and towns, and the resolve to do all we can to stop this from happening again, Highland Park is standing strong and on the path to healing.”

A spokeswoman for Romanucci and Blandin, a law firm representing several survivors and family members in civil actions against the gun manufacturer, retailer and others, echoed Beasley’s statements.

“The victims and survivors are intensely relieved at what transpired in court,” said Jennifer McGuffin, adding that the lawyers “remain committed to civil justice.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250303/crime/highland-park-parade-suspect-pleads-guilty-faces-life-in-prison/