"Highland Park Gunman Sentenced to Seven Life Terms for 2022 Parade Attack"

On April 24, 2025, a Lake County courtroom in Waukegan, Illinois, became the stage for a long-awaited reckoning. Robert E. Crimo III, the gunman responsible for the horrific mass shooting at the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade, was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The ruling, delivered by Judge Victoria A. Rossetti, marks a somber yet resolute chapter in a tragedy that shattered a community and left an indelible scar on the nation.

The Day That Changed Highland Park Forever

It was a day meant for celebration. On July 4, 2022, the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park, home to about 30,000 residents, buzzed with patriotic fervor as families lined the streets for the annual Independence Day parade. The sound of marching bands and the sight of waving flags filled the air—until gunfire erupted. Crimo, then 21, perched on a downtown rooftop, unleashed a barrage of 83 rounds from a military-style semiautomatic rifle into the crowd below. The attack, which lasted just 40 seconds, claimed seven lives and wounded 48 others, leaving behind what Judge Rossetti described as an "ocean of grief."

The victims were a cross-section of the community, their ages spanning generations: Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35. Among the wounded were individuals as young as 8 years old, with some, like a partially paralyzed boy, bearing lifelong injuries. Survivors recounted scenes of chaos—families fleeing in terror, abandoning strollers and chairs, as the sound of gunfire drowned out the festive music of “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

A Calculated Act of Evil

Prosecutors painted a chilling picture of Crimo’s premeditation. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart revealed that Crimo meticulously planned the attack, surveilling the area and even timing police response rates to maximize his impact. “This was his evil plan. He intended to end the happiness that he saw around him,” Rinehart stated during the sentencing hearing. Crimo’s own words, captured in a confession, were hauntingly detached: “I walked up the stairs, jumped on the roof, and opened fire,” he said, reportedly laughing and joking as he recounted the massacre to police.

Witnesses and survivors shared their trauma in court, their testimonies a raw reminder of the human toll. Erica Weeder, wounded by shrapnel, spoke of her lingering fear of everyday sounds—fireworks, construction noise, even the rumble of Chicago’s L train. Retired Highland Park Police Commander Gerry Cameron described the panic he witnessed, with residents hiding in businesses, too horrified to emerge even after the shooting stopped. The emotional weight of these accounts was palpable, with many in the courtroom moved to tears, comforting one another as they relived the nightmare.

The Path to Justice

Crimo’s legal journey was marked by unpredictability. Initially expected to plead guilty in 2023, he shocked even his own attorneys by reversing course at the last minute, briefly opting to represent himself. His erratic behavior delayed proceedings, but on March 3, 2025, just as his trial was set to begin, Crimo changed his plea to guilty on 21 counts of first-degree murder—three for each victim—and 48 counts of attempted murder. The plea ensured he would spend the rest of his life behind bars, a certainty under Illinois law, which mandates a life sentence for each first-degree murder conviction.

Crimo’s absence from the sentencing hearing spoke volumes. Despite warnings from Judge Rossetti that the case would proceed without him, he refused to attend or even watch from jail, denying survivors the chance to confront him directly. He also declined to provide a written statement, showing no remorse for his actions—a fact that weighed heavily in Rossetti’s ruling. She described Crimo as “irretrievably depraved, permanently incorrigible, and beyond any rehabilitation,” a man whose cold, calculated actions warranted the harshest possible punishment.

A Community’s Resilience

Highland Park has struggled to heal in the years since the shooting. The 2023 Fourth of July parade was canceled, replaced by a “community walk” as residents grappled with their grief. Last year, the parade returned on a different route, incorporating a memorial to honor the victims—a tentative step toward reclaiming a cherished tradition. Yet for many, the wounds remain fresh. Ashbey Beasley, who attended the 2022 parade with her son, expressed relief at Crimo’s guilty plea, noting the toll of the looming trial on survivors’ ability to grieve.

The case also raised broader questions about accountability and prevention. Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., was convicted in 2023 of misdemeanor reckless conduct for helping his son obtain a Firearm Owner’s Identification card, despite the younger Crimo being only 19 at the time and too young to apply on his own. Crimo Jr. served just one month of a 60-day sentence, a punishment some felt was too lenient given the catastrophic consequences.

Reflections on a National Crisis

The Highland Park shooting is a grim reminder of the persistent scourge of gun violence in the United States. It joins a litany of similar tragedies—mass shootings at parades, schools, and public spaces—that continue to challenge the nation’s conscience. While Crimo’s sentencing brings a measure of closure to Highland Park, it does little to address the systemic issues that enable such acts. The easy availability of military-style weapons, the failures of mental health support, and the societal factors that fuel alienation and hatred remain unaddressed, ensuring that the cycle of violence persists.

As Judge Rossetti noted, “No sentence can ever change the events of July 4.” But for the victims’ families and the Highland Park community, this ruling offers a semblance of justice—a chance to honor the memory of those lost and to begin, however slowly, the process of healing. The seven life sentences stand as a testament to the lives taken, a symbolic acknowledgment that their loss will not be forgotten. For now, Highland Park looks to the future, determined to reclaim its sense of community, even as it mourns the innocence stolen on that fateful summer day.