The trial for the man facing over 100 charges in connection to a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, will begin in 2025, despite having been scheduled to begin next week.
A Lake County judge ruled on Wednesday that the trial for Robert Crimo III would be held in February 2025. He will face 117 counts, including 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder, and 48 counts of aggravated assault. Crimo is accused of fatally shooting seven people and wounding dozens of others.
In late 2023, both the prosecution and defense attorneys agreed to a 2025 start date. However, in December, Crimo dismissed his attorneys and said he wanted to represent himself. He exercised his right to a speedy trial and asked for a February 2024 date, with the trial later scheduled for Feb. 26. However, in January, the trial was postponed after he appeared in court and requested to have his public attorneys reinstated.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday they had put a lot of work into the trial due to expecting jury selection this month. They requested a fall trial date for this year, either in September or October.
However, the judge said Crimo’s brief period of representing himself was not significant enough to derail the original trial date that both sides had previously agreed to.
“Our office would have been ready for trial this month,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement via the Chicago Tribune. “As Chief Ben Dillon said, we will be ready for trial on Feb. 24, 2025. Our team of prosecutors and victim specialists have been meeting with and talking with the victims since this horrible crime. We will continue to do so.”
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“The most important thing is that we secure certain justice as best as we can for the victims, families, survivors, and the entire Lake County community,” Rinehart added.
Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty in November last year to misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct for assisting his son to obtain a firearm owner’s ID card. He was released from jail in December last year after 60 days.
