Jury selection resumed Tuesday in Lake County Court in the trial of Robert Crimo III, who is accused of carrying out the mass shooting at the July 4, 2022, Highland Park parade.
Opening statements and testimony are expected to start Monday after the attorneys finish picking the panel that will hear the case. The 12 jury members will be joined by six alternates.
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The defense and prosecution were able to agree on seven members of the jury Monday, but they excused one of those people at the outset of court Tuesday. The sides conferred privately with Judge Victoria Rossetti in chambers before coming back to the courtroom. The judge did not say why the juror, who owns a truck repair business, was excused.
The lawyers agreed on five additional jurors Tuesday, including a man who works in a warehouse, a woman who works for Palatine Township and a young man who is going to college part-time and training to become an emergency medical technician. Fifteen other potential jurors were excused Tuesday morning, including someone who said they believed Crimo was probably guilty.
Crimo, who did not attend the afternoon session Monday, returned to court Tuesday morning in a black tracksuit. He then skipped the afternoon session for the second time in two days.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The jury will hear the evidence and eventually decide whether Crimo is guilty of dozens of felony counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder. If convicted of the murder charges, he faces life in prison without a parole.
Authorities say Crimo climbed onto a building in downtown Highland Park and opened fire with an assault rifle on the crowd gathered for the Independence Day parade nearly three years ago. The shooting left seven people dead and more than 40 wounded.
Crimo was identified as a suspect and was taken into custody later that day following a traffic stop.
Jury selection will continue this week until all 18 spots are filled. The trial is expected to last three to five weeks, with jurors hearing evidence and testimony for four days each week.
The proceedings were expected to continue Wednesday.