Survivors and relatives of those killed read statements addressed to Crimo, even though authorities said he refused to appear in court or watch from jail. Some described feeling empty or deeply sad; others said they now fear public gatherings. But most used their time simply to remember the people killed.
“You took my mom,” said Leah Sundheim, the only child of Jacquelyn Sundheim. “I will never be able to summarize how simply extraordinary she was, and how devastating and out of balance my life is without her.”
Prosecutors presented evidence including parts of a lengthy videotaped confession during the hearing at a Lake County courthouse. Witnesses and first responders testified on the rescue of a child left orphaned and a "post-apocalyptic scene" of bodies in the street among abandoned strollers and lawn chairs.
“It went from watching a parade to utter chaos,” testified Dana Ruder Ring, who escaped with her husband and three kids. “We just had to keep going. We just knew that staying still was not a safe idea and we were terrified.”
Her husband frantically searched for the parents of a child who was covered in blood while seeing “bodies still smoking on the ground,” Ruder Ring said.
She learned later that the boy’s parents, Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, had been killed.
Shooter's confession revealed
In a recording of his confession, which defense attorneys tried to have thrown out, a blank-faced Crimo slumped in a chair, his arms crossed, as he said he briefly reconsidered the attack because of a problem with the gun, but he fixed it.
“I walked up the stairs, jumped on the roof and opened fire,” he said.
Crimo was calm and cavalier, even laughing and joking, said Brian Bodden, a Highland Park police officer.
“He was never serious, no remorse,” Bodden testified, adding that Crimo was clear that he intended to kill people. He said Crimo had planned the shooting since about 2017 and took pictures of locations.
He claimed he tried to avoid children, but it was impossible in the crowd. He gave a cryptic reason for the attack, saying he felt like a sleepwalker.
“I don’t even think I really wanted to," he said.
A celebration turned horrific
Prosecutors recreated the horror of the day for the upscale community of about 30,000 people north of Chicago.
In one video, a marching band played “You're a Grand Old Flag” before shots were fired. Musicians carrying instruments ran as emergency sirens blared, fleeing along with other attendees.
Many cried during the testimony, while others put their arms around each other.
Retired Highland Park Police Commander Gerry Cameron said he ran toward what sounded like fireworks or a car backfiring when he saw people hurt and others fleeing in panic. He described later helping people who were hiding in businesses.
“They were reluctant to come out. They were reluctant to come to the door,” he said. “They were horrified.”
Crimo fired from a roof, leaving behind 83 shell casings, authorities said.
Emergency room Dr. Jeremy Smiley escaped the parade while carrying his daughter, got his family to safety and went to the hospital.
“The number of shots, it was just clear that whatever this was, it was going to be bad,” he said in court.
He described caring for Cooper as injured people filled emergency room beds and lined the hallways. Other doctors kept showing up to help.
Meanwhile, authorities collected evidence in the deserted downtown. Bodies were covered in blue tarps.
“It was pretty eerie, almost post-apocalyptic," testified FBI special agent Marc Recca.
Victims and relatives speak
Crimo injured 48 people and killed seven, including the McCarthys and Sundheim; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.
Keely Roberts, whose son, 8-year-old Cooper Roberts, was the youngest victim and is paralyzed from the waist down, called Crimo "cowardly" for not attending.
“You will not hear my grief. You will not get my sad stories. You have no power over my life,” she said. “You are now irrelevant.”
John Straus, the son of Stephen Straus, said the shooting haunts him.
“There’s no closure, no sense to be made of it,” Straus said. “It is an open wound in our hearts that we will have to nurse forever.”
Sheila Gutman, who was shot in the foot, talked about how she spent weeks in the hospital and underwent numerous surgeries.
“The aftermath inflicts a second wound that continues to bleed, a second kind of violence,” she said in court.
A life sentenc
e is certain
Crimo will be sentenced for 21 counts of first-degree murder — three counts for each person killed — and 48 counts of attempted murder. Each first-degree murder count carries a maximum life sentence in Illinois.
The case has moved slowly, in part because Crimo backed out of a plea deal, fired his public defenders and reversed his decision to represent himself. He signed his name and Donald Trump's when he waived his right to trial.
Crimo has previously skipped court, including parts of jury selection, despite a judge's warnings that the case would still move forward. Several survivors separately have sued Crimo and gunmaker Smith & Wesson.
Crimo's parents attended most court proceedings but were absent Wednesday. Robert Crimo Jr., who served less than two months in jail for charges in connection to how his son obtained a gun license, declined to comment Wednesday.
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This story has been corrected to show that Cameron described clearing people who were hiding, not Conway.
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