The man advocates himself guilty of the crime, attempted murder in shoots at the Chicago suburb of July 4 parade

Waukegan, ill. – A man from Illinois pleaded guilty on Monday to kill seven people and injured for decades when he opened fire in a 2022 parade of independence in a Chicago suburb, an amazing development evolution before opening arguments in his trial for charges of murder and attempted murder.

Appearing in a courtroom of the Circuit in Lake County, Robert E. Crimo III23 years old, withdrew his previous plea, which is not better in filming in Highland Park.

The prosecutors initially accused him of 21 charges of murder of the first grade accusations for each person killed-as well as 48 charges of attempted murder. Prosecutors gave up 48 less serious battery charges before starting the process with the selection of the jury last week.

On Monday, Judge Victoria Rossetti read the charges for Crimo and asked questions to be sure that he understood before any open plea was read to the court. He was standing next to his lawyers, wearing a dark suit.

“Is that what you passed with your lawyers?” Rossetti asked.

– Yes, Crimo replied to the judge.

He gave a word answers, indicating that he understood the accusations. His mother, Denise Pesina, had a brief outbreak to the news and was called to the judge for a warning.

“We will go on. You are not a party to this procedure. If you want to stay in the courtroom, please have a place and be quiet, ”the judge told him.

He was allowed to stay.

The judge said that, with the change of pleadings, there will be no evidence or other motions regarding the cause.

“He gave up and voluntarily these rights and said guilty,” Rossetti said.

Prosecutors in Lake County have read the names of all those killed in shootings and those injured in the shooting, the judge stopped to ask questions to make sure that Crimo understood.

They have passed over the substantial evidence, including its prints on the weapon used in crime and police statements that admit to mass shooting.

The conviction will come on April 23, but Crimo is sure he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Each first degree murder number has a prison sentence in natural life.

Crimo did not continue to approach the court and did not ask questions before leaving the courtroom.

His defense lawyers refused comments before the trial.

The security was very close for the procedures at the court in Lake County, with several bags and observers needed to block their phones. The crowd at what they had to open statements included survivors and members of their family.

The jurors, who were chosen last week, were not even left in the courtroom, when the pleading change happened.

The process that started on February 24 was expected to last about a month with testimony from survivors and police. The prosecutors filed thousands of pages of evidence, as well as hours of interrogation registered during which the police say that Crimo confessed the shot. But the 24 -year -old pleaded then was not guilty.

Dozens of people were injured in shootings in the suburb about 30 miles north of Chicago. The wounded included 80 years of age at an 8 -year -old boy, who was left partially paralyzed.

Witnesses described the confusion as the shootings began, followed by panic while the families fled the parade route in the city center, leaving behind the lawn chairs and strollers to find safety within enterprises or houses.

The authorities said Crimo had been on a roof and fired in the sets assembled for the annual parade from July 4 in the center of Highland Park.

The criminal case continued slowly for months, partially due to the unpredictable behavior of Crimo. In June 2024, when he was expected to accept a plea agreement and give the victims and relatives the chance to publicly approach it, Crimo presented to court in a wheelchair and rejected his agreement, surprising even his lawyers.

He also fired the public defenders and said he would represent himself. Then it suddenly reversed.

As the potential jurors were questioned last week, he appeared sporadically in court, sometimes refusing to leave the prison cell.

The trial came almost two years from the case of his father, focusing on how Crimo obtained a weapon license.

In 2019, at 19, Crimo was allowed to request only a weapon license with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father agreed, even though a relative reported to the police that his son had a collection of knives and threatened to “kill everyone.”

His father, Robert Crimo Jr., a candidate for the mayor, was accused of how his son obtained a weapon permit. He pleaded guilty in 2023 for seven charges of reckless conduct and served less than two months in prison.

He participated in the hearings of his son, sometimes making visual contact with him during the court. He refused to discuss in detail the case before the trial.

“As a parent, I love my son very much,” he said. “And Bobby loves this country more than anyone would ever know.”

The inhabitants of the rich community of Highland Park, about 30,000, along Lake Michigan, have mourned the losses. Some potential jurors have been apologized because of their connections with the case.

The leaders of the city canceled the ordinary parade in 2023, opting for a “ride in the community”. The parade was renewed last year on a different route and a memorial for victims.

“Our community is again mentioned by the huge pain and trauma caused by the Highland Park shooting,” said Mayor Highland Park, Nancy Rotering, in a statement before the jury selection. “Our hearts remain with the victims, their families, and with all those whose lives have been changed forever by that devastating day.”

Those killed at the shooting were Katherine Goldstein, 64 years old; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63 years old; Stephen Straus, 88 years old; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69 years old; And he married the Kevin McCarthy couple, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.

The survivors and their families have submitted several processes, including against the manufacturer of the semiautomatic kid used for shooting and against the authorities they accuse of negligence.

Tareen writes for Associated Press.