Jury selection resumed Tuesday in Lake County Court on the second day of the trial of Robert Crimo III, who is accused of carrying out the mass shooting at the July 4, 2022 Highland Park parade.
Testimony and the presentation of evidence are expected to start Monday after Judge Victoria Rossetti and the attorneys finish picking the panel that will hear the case. The 12 members of the jury will be joined by six alternate jurors.
The defense and prosecution were able to agree on seven members of the jury Monday, but they excused one of those jurors at the outset of court Tuesday. The sides conferred privately with Rossetti 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 two additional jurors Tuesday morning, a young man who is going to college part-time and training to become an emergency medical technician, and a woman who works for Palatine Township. Eight other potential jurors were excused Tuesday morning, including someone who said they felt Crimo was probably guilty.
Crimo, who did not attend the afternoon session Monday, was back in court Tuesday and wearing a black tracksuit.
The panel will hear the evidence and eventually decide whether Crimo is guilty of dozens of felony counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Authorities say that he climbed onto a downtown building and opened fire with an assault rifle on the crowd gathered for the Independence Day parade in Highland Park. The mass 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 sports are filled. The trial is expected to last three to five weeks, with jurors hearing evidence and testimony for four days each week.
Jury selection was expected to continue Tuesday afternoon.