April 24 (UPI) -- Robert Crimo III, who pleaded guilty to 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted murder in connection to a mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill., in 2022, was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences Thursday without the possibility of parole, plus 50 years in prison for each person injured.
Seven died in the shooting and more than 40 others were injured.
Crimo did not appear in court either Thursday or Wednesday during the sentencing hearing, when several survivors and relatives of those who he killed spoke about how he affected their lives.
Marcia Moran, whose husband was murdered by Crimo, spoke over Zoom and explained how her family has since moved out of Highland Park, and that she remains in therapy due to the trauma of her spouse's death.
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"The shooter doesn't get to take anything more from me," Moran said."
Leah Sundheim, daughter of victim Jacqueline Sundheim, said, "I hope you wake in the middle of the night, gasping air you don't deserve," and also read a statement on behalf of her father, who said Crimo destroyed their lives.
Crimo wore women's clothing and used makeup to hide his facial tattoos in an attempt to blend into the crowd when he opened fire from a rooftop during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park on July 4, 2022. He was arrested later that day and confessed to firing more than 80 rounds into the crowd from a nearby rooftop.
Crimo's father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty in 2024 to reckless conduct, after having signed the Firearm Owner's Identification card for his then 19-year-old son to apply for gun ownership. At the time, the state of Illinois required people between the ages of 18 and 20 to have parent or guardian authorization.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., posted to X Thursday that, "The sentencing of the Highland Park shooter is one more step of healing for our community. The wounds from that terrible day run deep [and] will never fully heal."
