


The gunman who admitted to fatally shooting seven people during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill., in 2022 is set to serve seven consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, the presiding judge said Thursday.
Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti handed down the maximum sentence while Robert Crimo III, 24, was absent from the courtroom. The defendant chose to forgo attending his sentencing hearing, which started Wednesday and extended into Thursday. He also declined to provide a written statement in court.
Crimo was found to be “irrevocably depraved” by the court and determined to be “beyond any rehabilitation,” Rossetti said. He is said to have showed no remorse for his actions that left seven victims dead and nearly 50 more injured on July 4, 2022.
Crimo appeared “calm” and even “cavalier” during a recorded confession following his arrest, according to testimony from a Highland Park police officer.
One of the wounded victims, Liz Turnipseed, called Crimo a “coward” for refusing to show his face in court and also described his attitude as “cavalier” after the mass shooting. The woman was shot in her leg and pelvis, impeding her mobility.
In July 2022, the shooter fired roughly 80 rounds into the parade crowd over 40 seconds using a semi-automatic rifle. He dressed himself as a woman to conceal his identity before accessing a rooftop to open fire on parade attendees.
Crimo then fled the scene into Highland Park, a city north of Chicago, before driving to Madison, Wis., where he contemplated another mass shooting. Authorities apprehended the suspect about eight hours after the Highland Park attack. DNA evidence was found on a rifle near the scene of the shooting, which he confessed to upon his arrest.
At the time, Crimo left disturbing content on his social media profiles, which contained music videos depicting mass murder. His social media presence suggested the shooting was “premeditated and calculated,” prosecutors said.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart described Crimo’s plan as “evil,” trying to kill people with 83 bullets in total. “Eighty-three attempts to reduce light in the world,” Rinehart said. “He intended to end the happiness he saw around him.”
In March, Crimo unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all 21 charges of first-degree murder, three counts for each person killed, in addition to 48 charges for injuring four dozen more people. He previously pleaded not guilty and rejected a plea deal. The plea change came moments before opening statements at his trial.
The seven deceased victims were Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Nicolas Toledo-Zargoza, 78; Irina McCarthy, 35; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Stephen Straus, 88; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69. The 48 wounded victims ranged anywhere from 80 years in age to an eight-year-old boy, who was partially paralyzed.
Nearly three years later, Crimo received his punishment. Life in prison without eligibility for parole is the most severe penalty one can get in Illinois, which does not inflict capital punishment on its most violent criminals.