Alleged Highland Park parade shooter Robert E. Crimo III is expected back in Lake County Court Tuesday for what likely will be a routine hearing.
Crimo is due to appear before Judge Victoria Rossetti for a case management conference. At such conferences, judges usually inquire of the prosecutors and defense attorneys to ensure that a case is proceeding without issue.
In the early stages of a felony case, prosecutors routinely will make recent police reports or other investigative material available to defense attorneys, as part of their obligation in the discovery process. In addition, the judge can respond to pretrial issues that may arise.
Tuesday’s hearing will be the first for Crimo, 22, since it was reported earlier this month that the defendant reportedly made a prank phone call from the jail on Dec. 31 to a New York Post reporter who had been trying to arrange an interview.
Crimo reportedly asked the reporter if his refrigerator was running. When the reporter said yes, Crimo said, “Well, you better go catch it,” before laughing and hanging up, according to authorities. Jail administrators, who tape all calls, said they forwarded a copy of the call to prosecutors.
At a court hearing last week for Crimo’s father, prosecutors acknowledged that police are continuing to investigate the July 4 parade shooting, at which seven people were killed and dozens more were wounded.
Authorities said Crimo opened fire on the assembled crowd with an assault rifle from the roof of a downtown store. He was taken into custody later that day and is facing seven murder charges among more than 100 felony counts.
Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., was charged with reckless conduct in connection with his son’s case.
At the father’s hearing last week, prosecutors said that they were furnishing copies of all information in the son’s case to the attorney representing the father. Prosecutors suggested that Crimo Jr.’s attorney would need a terabyte-sized computer drive to hold it all.
Lake County authorities allege it was reckless for the father to vouch for his then-underaged son in 2019 on state forms that allowed the son to purchase guns.
