Judge sets Crimo Jr. trial date for late October

The criminal case against Robert Crimo Jr., the father of the man charged in the 2022 Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park, will go to trial in late October, according to the schedule set by the presiding judge at a hearing Friday morning.

Crimo Jr. is facing seven counts of reckless conduct, one for each person killed in the mass shooting. Law officials said Crimo Jr. broke the law when he helped his son apply for a FOID card in 2019 despite the son's troubled past.

Lake County Judge George Strickland said Friday that while he didn't want to rush the case, he was going to move the lawyers along through the pretrial process.

Crimo Jr.'s lawyer George Gomez initially proposed setting a trial date for March 2024. After the hearing, Gomez told reporters his team would be ready to go to trial on Strickland's timeline.

Strickland asked Gomez and Assistant State's Attorney Jeffrey Facklam to file by the end of June any motions they intend to file.

Gomez told the judge he intended to file multiple motions, including one to dismiss the case. Facklam said he plans to request a court order to accompany a subpoena for additional documents relevant to the case.

Strickland ordered the sides to return for another hearing on July 14. Gomez said he would know by then whether or not he would request his client receive a jury trial or a bench trial. In a bench trial, a judge determines whether the accused is guilty or innocent.

If convicted on any of the counts, Crimo Jr. could be sentenced to up to three years in prison or receive probation.

In August, Crimo Jr.'s son pleaded not guilty to the 117 criminal charges against him. Officials allege he opened fire from a rooftop at spectators on the streets below, killing seven people and injuring more than 50 others, both by gunfire and in the rush for safety that followed.