Survivors of July Fourth parade shooting have mixed feelings about gunman's absence from sentencing

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — Grieving relatives and survivors of a mass shooting at a 2022 July Fourth parade recounted harrowing details for hours in a packed courtroom this week, telling a judge that the attack has done long-lasting damage.

But the man who admitted to carefully planning the shooting, and was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for killing seven people and wounding 48, remained out of sight in his jail cell.

The long-awaited sentencing hearing for Robert E. Crimo III brought together dozens of people whose lives were torn apart by the shooting in suburban Highland Park north of Chicago. Even as they were accustomed to Crimo's erratic behavior — skipping hearings, firing attorneys and pleading guilty moments before trial — survivors said his absence set off a range of emotions, including relief, anger and closure.

“I don’t have to think about him anymore. I don’t have to worry about him anymore,” said Liz Turnipseed, who was seriously injured in the shooting and now relies on a cane. “I don’t need to see his face. I know what he looks like.”

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti handed down seven sentences of life in prison for Crimo, as prosecutors requested, for the first-degree murder charges after hearing evidence prosecutors prepared for trial and hours of emotional testimony. She also sentenced Crimo to 50 years for 48 counts of attempted murder. There's no possibility of parole.

“This court has absolutely no words that could adequately describe and capture the horror and pain that was inflicted on July 4th,” the judge said. She added that Crimo “is irretrievably depraved, permanently incorrigible, irreparably corrupt and beyond any rehabilitation.”

Dozens were wounded in the shooting as Crimo fired 83 rounds in 40 seconds, according to authorities. The injured ranged in age from their 80s to an 8-year-old boy who was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Some survivors called Crimo “cowardly” for not attending, while others said seeing him caused anxiety. One cited their faith in forgiving him. Another said he hoped Crimo suffered each day behind bars.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, who marched in the 2022 parade, said Crimo’s absence was actually helpful.

“The fact that the offender wasn’t there gave people almost the space to be more relaxed and more comfortable sharing their individual stories,” she told reporters after the sentencing.

Some survivors nodded as they listened to others speak, while one man clutched a stress ball. Many cried.

Prosecutors argued Crimo was fully in control of his actions. They showed clips of Crimo’s video-taped confession that hadn't been viewed before in court.

In the interview, which defense attorneys tried to have thrown out, a blank-faced Crimo slumped in a chair with arms crossed. He detailed his plan to open fire from the roof and offered cryptic metaphors for his motivations in the killings. At one point he told police, "You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet."

The proceedings have been marked by unpredictable behavior, including Thursday when Rossetti briefly paused the hearing. Officials at first said Crimo had asked to be brought to court. Defense attorneys later clarified that his request was about an issue unrelated to the sentencing.

Crimo declined to offer a statement to the court through his attorneys. The judge ordered consecutive sentences, and Crimo “will die in prison,” his public defender, Gregory Ticsay, said.

“He’s always known that he was facing life in prison,” Ticsay said. “He has spared this community the lengthy trial.”

While not unprecedented, it’s unusual for defendants to skip trial, especially sentencing, but constitutionally they have the right not to attend, said David Erickson, a former state appellate judge who teaches at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Often in violent cases, defendants will explain themselves or profess innocence before sentencing.

However, prosecutors said Crimo didn’t show any regret.

“He has sent forth an ocean of pain,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. “He was cavalier. He was arrogant. He was uncaring. He was smiling. He was laughing. He was ready with a metaphor. He was merciless.”

The seven people killed were Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.

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This story has been corrected to show Crimo was sentenced to 50 years for the attempted murder charges, not 50 years for each count of attempted murder.

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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report from Madison, Wisconsin.