CHICAGO (AP) — The man accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens more, including children, at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago in 2022 will stand trial next February, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Robert Crimo III is charged with , 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery for . Judge Victoria Rossetti on Wednesday scheduled his trial to begin Feb. 24, 2025.
Crimo would face a mandatory sentence of life without parole if convicted of first-degree murder.
Authorities have said Crimo, 23, confessed to police in the days after he opened fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, terrifying parade participants and spectators. Authorities have said he initially fled to the Madison, Wisconsin, area and contemplated a second shooting at a parade there but returned to Chicago's northern suburbs.
Wednesday's scheduling decision followed several months of uncertainty about a timeline for the accused gunman's trial.
Crimo in December, telling Judge Victoria Rossetti that he would represent himself. He also demanded an earlier trial date. But a few weeks later, he asked the judge to .
Lake County prosecutors said Wednesday that they could be prepared for an earlier start this fall. Rossetti declined, saying both sides had agreed to a February 2025 start date before Crimo's brief insistence on representing himself.
Rossetti scheduled a hearing for April 24 to discuss attorneys' progress preparing for trial.
