Highland Park parade shooting suspect backs out of plea deal

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) -- The Highland Park July 4th parade shooting suspect backed out of a plea deal on Wednesday during a hearing.

The state offered a plea deal involving a guilty plea to 55 charges, including seven counts of murder and only 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. Under the plea, defendant Robert Crimo III would be sentenced to natural life imprisonment. 

The rest of the charges would be dismissed.    

The suspect, who appeared in court in a wheelchair, initially would not answer whether or not he accepted the deal so the court went to a recess. He then refused the deal. 

A trial date of Feb. 24, 2025, was set this past winter.

CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said the suspect, "wanted to be in control today." Miller said the plea refusal was not surprising to him. 

Miller said he would have been surprised if Crimo had, in fact, taken the deal.

"He was getting nothing out of this deal. He was getting life in prison plus 30 years," Miller said. "He wanted to be the star. He wanted to be the guy that was calling the shots. He doesn't like to the guy that's taking the shots."

Now, dozens of survivors and their families will be called back to court next year, to endure weeks of what is expected to be a lengthy trial.

"I know he's up there looking at us now, telling us right now just to be patient and to let the court system do what they have to do," Mendez said of her late father.

Last week, CBS 2 received a copy of a letter issued to victims and their families, which gave a heads-up that Crimo had been expected to change his plea. Under the deal, the defendant would be sentenced to natural life imprisonment

"It is expected that a change of plea will be presented to Judge Victoria Rossetti at the request of the state and the defense," the letter read.

Crimo was charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts for each person who died, along with 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, one for each surviving victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment, or shrapnel.

Those who were killed in the Independence Day parade attack were 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein, of Highland Park; 35-year-old Irina McCarthy, of Highland Park; 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, of Highland Park; 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim, of Highland Park; 88-year-old Stephen Straus, of Highland Park; 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, of Morelos, Mexico; and 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo, of Waukegan.

A total of 48 people were also wounded in the shooting. Among them was Cooper Roberts, then 8, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.  

Attorneys representing survivors and families impacted by the shooting spoke outside of court—calling the plea deal rejection a "calculated" move by the defendant.

"All I wanted was to be able to fully grieve my mom without the looming trial, knowing that he was going to spend the rest of his life in jail. And instead, we were, yet again, shown his complete and blatant disregard for humans or anyone, for all of us in that courtroom," said Leah Sundheim.

Sundheim stood along her father, Bruce, outside court on Wednesday. She had high hopes this day would be one of closure—nearly two years to the day after her mother, and Bruce's husband, was shot and killed in the parade attack.

"Instead, we now get to sit and wait weeks, and months, of more hearings and unknowns," said Sundheim.

The survivors and victims' family members had all come to court prepared to give victim impact statements. But then, the defendant backed out of the plea.

"I think that he has very little control, and he will exercise every bit he has, and does not care who he hurts in the meantime," said Sundheim.

An attorney for one victim's family said he believed Crimo knew exactly what he was doing in having everyone gathered together expecting him to change his plea and admit to the heinous act—and then not doing so.

"What we saw quite clearly was a defendant who came to court today with one goal in mind—to continue the terror that began on July 4th, 2022," said Lance Northcutt, an attorney for Aiden McCarthy, the son of Kevin and Irina McCarthy.

Sundheim likewise said everything was likely planned on Crimo's part.

"I don't know what more proof that we can have. He is evil and manipulative, and brought us here today probably knowing what he was going to do," said Sundheim."

Other victims' family members likewise had their sense of anticipated relief completely defeated.

"I was hoping for closure. That was like, the goal for today, to just be done with this," said Karina Mendez, daughter of Eduardo Uvaldo, who spoke on behalf of her family outside the Lake County Courthouse. "Me personally, I've been very emotional for the past two weeks or so, over the last week, and it's hard. It's hard Just to come in here and see the person who took my dad—it's not something that you want to do. You don't take it lightly."

Uvaldo moved to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 15, and he and his wife Maria were married for 50 years.

"This man wo was living the American dream died the American nightmare," said attorney Josh Koskoff, representing Maria Uvaldo.

Now, dozens of survivors and their families will be called back to court next year, to endure weeks of what is expected to be a lengthy trial.

"I know he's up there looking at us now, telling us right now just to be patient and to let the court system do what they have to do," Mendez said of her late father.

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart would not answer questions after court, but did say his team will be ready for trial.

The suspect remains in custody at the Lake County Jail. The February 2025 trial date remains scheduled.