The father of the Highland Park shooter has pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and has been sentenced to two years in prison and 60 days in custody of the Lake County sheriff.
The Illinois man was charged with multiple counts of reckless conduct for helping his troubled underage son obtain a gun. This was the firearm that the latter used to kill seven people during a Fourth of July parade last year.
Highland Park Shooter's Father Pleads Guilty
Illinois Circuit Court Judge George Strickland handed the sentence to Robert Crimo Jr. which includes 100 hours of public service. The defendant was also ordered to surrender his firearm owner identification card and any ammunition he may have had in his possession.
The lawyer for the individual said that his client had pleaded guilty to prevent his trial from becoming a "public spectacle" or jeopardizing his son's case by disclosing key evidence before the younger Crimo's trial.
In a statement, attorney George Gomez said that as they got closer to the trial, the strategy of the state required pitting Crimo's family against each other. The case against the father marks at least the second time that a parent in the U.S. has been prosecuted in connection with crimes allegedly committed by their child, as per Yahoo News.
Legal experts have argued that the guilty plea could help expand the number of people who are held liable in future mass shootings. The Michigan Supreme Court in October ruled that the parents of a teenager who shot four classmates to death at a Detroit-area high school would stand trial for involuntary manslaughter for buying their son a firearm despite knowledge that he was mentally disturbed.
In the case of the Highland Park, Illinois, shooter, police officials said that the suspect, Robert Crimo III, fired on spectators watching an Independence Day parade on July 4, 2022. On top of the seven that he killed, he reportedly injured dozens of others. The shooter pleaded not guilty to 117 counts, including 21 charges of first-degree murder.
In February, a grand jury charged the elder Crimo with seven counts of reckless conduct for sponsoring his son's 2019 application for a firearm owner identification (FOID) card. This was done despite the knowledge that his son was unfit to own a gun.
Testifying at his Son's Trial
Prosecutors said that as part of his plea deal, Crimp Jr. agreed to testify if he is called at his son's criminal trial. Gomez noted that his client ultimately does not want his family to be more torn apart on the public stage than it already is, according to CNN.
The defendant's attorney said that as a member of the Highland Park community, Crimp Jr. does not want the people of the area to relive the tragic events. The defendant noted that when he signed the consent form for his son, he was simply following the process.
Crimp Jr. noted that authorities conduct background checks whenever an individual tries to buy a firearm and that his son was also subject to such a process. He said that his son was later approved to purchase a firearm, said ABC News.
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