Highland Park gunman: Robert Crimo sentenced to life without parole
The sentence was handed down by a Lake County judge after a hearing where Crimo pleaded guilty and failed to appear in court.
The perpetrator of the attack at the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago, has been sentenced to life in prison. Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, 24, was found guilty of a mass shooting that occurred on July 4, 2022, that left 7 dead and approximately 50 injured.
During the hearing in Waukegan, Illinois, Judge Victoria Rossetti called Crimo “irrevocably depraved” and noted that there is no possibility of rehabilitation. The defendant had pleaded guilty the previous month and did not appear in court, nor did his family.
The Impact of the Shooting on the Community
The attack had a profound impact on the Highland Park community. The victims were of various ages, including an eight-year-old boy who was paralyzed after being shot. Lake County District Attorney Eric Rinehart emphasized the intensity of the shooting and specified that Crimo fired 83 shots in 40 seconds.
Liz Turnipseed, who was shot in the pelvis during the crime, called Crimo a "coward" for not confronting the victims. Additionally, Ashley Beasley, a local resident present at the parade, expressed collective relief at the verdict: "We all held our breath to make sure he would never be free again."
ALSO SEE: Florida shooting suspect allegedly used Mother’s gun, raising questions of parental accountability
Emotional Aftermath and Positions After the Sentencing
Erica Weeder, one of the survivors, stated that the attack permanently influenced her daily life and that of her children. They believe that "no one is truly safe." John Kezdy, Weeder's husband, died a year after the accident, leaving the family with additional emotional impact.
Despite the sentence imposed, legal representatives for the victims assert that full justice has not been achieved. Lance Northcutt, attorney for the McCarthy family, lamented that there has been no judicial decision to reverse what was committed. He told the press, "Justice would be for little Aidan McCarthy to walk out of kindergarten today and see his mother and father waiting for him there with open arms."