(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Jury selection began Monday morning in the trial of the man accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens of others in a shooting at the 2022 Highland Park Independence Day parade.
At the end of Monday, four people were seated and three were excused for the murder trial of the Highland Park parade shooting suspect. Prospective jurors were excused over childcare and travel issues.
Judge Victoria Rossetti led the questioning, asking people about their jobs and if they have friends or relatives who are police officers or lawyers. She, prosecutors and public defenders also asked where they get their news, how they feel about guns and if they would be OK listening to graphic testimony and seeing disturbing videos from the 2022 shooting.
Among those seated is a business analyst, a trucking company owner and a hospice nurse.
In a surprise move, a local reporter was barred from covering the trial because he may be called as a witness.
Prosecutors moved to dismiss four dozen of the aggravated battery with firearm charges against Robert Crimo III, but did not say why. He still faces 69 murder and attempted murder charges.
Prosecutors have about 10,000 pages of evidence and hours of police interrogation.
Police say the now 24-year-old confessed to the shooting during a taped interrogation. Public defenders tried unsuccessfully to get that thrown out.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office also plans to call many of the four dozen people wounded in the parade shooting to talk about their experiences and injuries.
Many of those who were at the parade will testify about how they felt that day when police say Crimo allegedly fired an assault style rifle at the crowd gathered below. Prosecutors won’t ask them to identify him, that’s expected to come from a former school police officer who recognized Crimo from surveillance videos.
Last week the judge ruled that the victims of the shooting could watch the whole trial, which is expected to take four to six weeks.
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