A judge ruled Monday that the case against the father of the Highland Park, Illinois, shooter can continue, overriding his attorneys' arguments that he can't be held culpable for his son's killing seven people and injuring a dozen more at a July Fourth parade last year.
Lake County Associate Judge George Strickland denied a motion by attorneys for Robert Crimo Jr., 58, to dismiss the indictment.
A grand jury indicted Crimo in February on seven counts of reckless conduct, one for each person his 19-year-old son killed in the attack, after he sponsored his son's Firearm Owners Identification application, which allowed him to buy the AR-15-style weapon he used.
Prosecutors have pointed out that by signing the document, Crimo agreed to be "liable for any damages resulting from the minor applicant’s use of firearms or firearm ammunition."
But Crimo’s lawyers have argued that the judge should throw out the charges, saying that he signed off on his son’s purchase years before the shooting, that the reckless conduct law he is charged under is too vague and that he was exercising his right to free speech by signing the application.
Strickland rejected the claims Monday, saying that while the state will have to prove Crimo’s actions were reckless, the reckless conduct statute itself does not prohibit legal conduct and is therefore not overly broad.
Strickland also ruled that Crimo can still face the charges even though he signed his son's application in December 2019, arguing that the statute of limitations is valid through July 4, 2025 — three years from the date of the shooting.
“Parents who help their kids get weapons of war are morally and legally responsible when those kids hurt others with those weapons," Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said at the time of the grand jury's indictment.
Crimo’s reckless misconduct trial is set for Nov. 6, and Strickland on Monday set the next court date for Oct. 30. No date has been set for the trial of Crimo’s son, who was indicted on 117 felony counts and has pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Crimo, a former Highland Park mayoral candidate who has voiced his support for the Second Amendment, faces up to three years if he is convicted.
His son, the shooter, was 21 years old when he allegedly climbed on top of a Highland Park building overlooking a July Fourth parade route and opened fire on the spectators lining the street. Police said he planned the attack for weeks and wore women's clothing to obscure his facial tattoos and blend into the crowd during his escape.
He had a history of posting violent social media content featuring imagery of mass shootings.
Authorities said the shooter confessed to the attack and also considered carrying out another one in Wisconsin.
The judge also said Monday that he will allow a live television camera in the courtroom throughout the proceedings but that he may prevent the recording of certain evidence or testimony that could be prejudicial toward the suspect's case.
The seven people killed in the shooting were Katherine Goldstein, 64; Irina McCarthy, 35; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69. A dozen other people were injured.