Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo III to be sentenced Wednesday

(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) -- Robert Crimo III, the gunman who killed seven people and injured dozens in a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022, will be sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty in March.

Crimo decided to not appear in court for his sentencing. The shooter's parents, who have attended most court proceedings, were also not present on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

Survivors and relatives of those killed in the shooting at the Independence Day parade were expected to address Crimo at the sentencing hearing, according to The Associated Press.

In March, Crimo pleaded guilty to 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts for each person killed, and dozens of attempted murder charges, according to Chicago ABC station WLS.

Survivor Ashbey Beasley, who fled the parade with her son when the gunfire broke out, said in March the plea brought an "immense amount of relief."

"Every single time I see [Crimo], it's stressful," she told reporters back in March. "I think it's upsetting for everyone…Just knowing that his plea has been entered and we will not have to see him again is what we all need."

Crimo appeared ready to accept a guilty plea last June during a hearing, only to reject the deal in front of devastated members of the victims' families. He was expected to plead guilty to seven counts of murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm at the hearing at the time, according to the AP.

"We have Fourth of July coming up and it will be two years," Leah Sundheim, whose mother, Jacquelyn Sundheim, was killed in the shooting, said at a news conference at the time. "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 [Crimo's] complete and blatant disregard for humans."

Crimo told police he wore women's clothing during the shooting and used makeup to hide his facial tattoos and blend in with the crowd during the chaos, prosecutors said. Crimo was apprehended hours later and prosecutors said he confessed to the shooting.

Crimo's father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty last year to reckless conduct, admitting to signing the Firearm Owner's Identification card for his son to apply for gun ownership.

The younger Crimo was 19 at the time and too young to get a FOID card on his own. Illinois at the time required people ages 18, 19 or 20 to have parent or guardian authorization.

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