Trial is postponed for an Illinois man charged with killing 7 at a Fourth of July parade in 2022
Robert E. Crimo III, left, is escorted into a courtroom during a case management conference before Judge Victoria A. Rossetti at the Lake County Courthouse, Waukegan, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Crimo is accused of opening fire on a 2022 Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, leaving seven dead and dozens injured. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
WAUKEGAN, Ill. — A judge postponed the trial of a man accused of killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago in 2022 after his lawyer on Wednesday asked for more time to review evidence. The trial had been slated to begin next month, and a new date has not been set.
Robert Crimo III, 23, 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, Illinois. Dozens of people, including children, were injured.
Authorities have said Crimo confessed to police that he unleashed a hail of bullets from a rooftop in Highland Park and then fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area, where he contemplated shooting up another parade there.
Wednesday's delay follows weeks of uncertainty in the case. Crimo fired his public defenders in December, saying he planned to represent himself, and he asked the judge to move his trial date from February 2025 to next month. Crimo rehired his lawyers last week.
Lake County Assistant Public Defender Anton Trizna on Wednesday asked Judge Victoria Rossetti to push the Feb. 26 trial date back to February 2025.
Prosecutors said in December that they had turned over nearly 10,000 pages of case information to the defense team, and Trizna told Rossetti on Wednesday that he has since received additional materials to review.
Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart requested the trial start in September or October of this year, rather than February 2025. Rossetti agreed to postpone the trial but did not set a new date.
Robert E. Crimo III, left, is escorted into a courtroom during a case management conference before Judge Victoria A. Rossetti at the Lake County Courthouse, Waukegan, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. A case management conference is scheduled for Crimo, a suspect in a mass shooting that left seven people dead and others injured during a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Ill. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
The judge told defense lawyers to discuss whether they can be prepared for a fall trial before the next scheduled hearing, set for Feb 21.
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