Highland Park shooting suspect’s trial date could be set in September

WAUKEGAN — Lawyers said Tuesday they will be ready by September to set a trial date for the accused Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooter, Robert E. Crimo III.

During a hearing at the Lake County Courthouse, Crimo’s first court appearance since January, his lawyer told Judge Victoria Rossetti that his lawyers expect to be finished reviewing evidence by early September.

Rossetti set Crimo’s next court date for Sept. 11.

“We believe, at that point, we can set a meaningful trial date,” said Anton Trizna, Crimo’s assistant public defender.

Since Crimo’s last hearing, prosecutors have turned over eight CDs containing around 3,700 pages of evidence to the defense, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon.

The evidence included medical records of the seven people killed and nearly 50 people wounded in the attack as well as Illinois State Police forensics tests, Dillon said.

Prosecutors are still subpoenaing additional medical records and are awaiting FBI lab reports, Dillon said.

Crimo III’s father, Robert E. Crimo Jr., and mother, Denise Pesina, attended the hearing Tuesday.

The hearing was the third time attorneys have asked the judge for more time to collect and share discovery evidence. In January, lawyers said they had collected 10,000 pages of evidence and dozens of photos and videos of the attack. At a hearing in November, attorneys said they had shared 2,500 pages of evidence.

Crimo has pleaded not guilty to 117 felony counts for allegedly firing an assault rifle at paradegoers from a rooftop at Central Avenue and Second Street in the north suburb. His lawyers have not yet formally requested a trial.

Crimo’s father is charged with seven counts of reckless conduct for signing his son’s firearm owners identification card application when he was underage. That case is also in the discovery phase.

Crimo and his father also are the target of a dozen civil lawsuits filed by shooting victims. Those lawsuits also accuse gunmaker Smith & Wesson of deceptive advertising practices and two gun shops of selling Crimo III an assault weapon while allegedly knowing he was a resident of Highland Park, which bans the weapons.