Survivors of July Fourth parade shooting have mixed feelings about gunman's absence from sentencing

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — Grieving relatives and survivors of a mass shooting at a 2022 July Fourth parade recounted harrowing details for hours in a packed courtroom this week, telling a judge that the attack has done long-lasting damage.

But the man who admitted to carefully planning the shooting, and was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for killing seven people and wounding 48, remained out of sight in his jail cell.

The long-awaited sentencing hearing for Robert E. Crimo III brought together dozens of people whose lives were torn apart by the shooting in suburban Highland Park north of Chicago. Even as they were accustomed to Crimo’s erratic behavior — skipping hearings, firing attorneys and pleading guilty moments before trial — survivors said his absence set off a range of emotions, including relief, anger and closure.

“I don’t have to think about him anymore. I don’t have to worry about him anymore,” said Liz Turnipseed, who was seriously injured in the shooting and now relies on a cane. “I don’t need to see his face. I know what he looks like.”

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti handed down seven sentences of life in prison for Crimo, as prosecutors requested, for the first-degree murder charges after hearing evidence prosecutors prepared for trial and hours of emotional testimony. She also sentenced Crimo to 50 years for 48 counts of attempted murder. There’s no possibility of parole.

“This court has absolutely no words that could adequately describe and capture the horror and pain that was inflicted on July 4th,” the judge said. She added that Crimo “is irretrievably depraved, permanently incorrigible, irreparably corrupt and beyond any rehabilitation.”

Dozens were wounded in the shooting as Crimo fired 83 rounds in 40 seconds, according to authorities. The injured ranged in age from their 80s to an 8-year-old boy who was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Some survivors called Crimo “cowardly” for not attending, while others said seeing him caused anxiety. One cited their faith in forgiving him. Another said he hoped Crimo suffered each day behind bars.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, who marched in the 2022 parade, said Crimo’s absence was actually helpful.

“The fact that the offender wasn’t there gave people almost the space to be more relaxed and more comfortable sharing their individual stories,” she told reporters after the sentencing.

Some survivors nodded as they listened to others speak, while one man clutched a stress ball. Many cried.

Prosecutors argued Crimo was fully in control of his actions. They showed clips of Crimo’s video-taped confession that hadn't been viewed before in court.

In the interview, which defense attorneys tried to have thrown out, a blank-faced Crimo slumped in a chair with arms crossed. He detailed his plan to open fire from the roof and offered cryptic metaphors for his motivations in the killings. At one point he told police, “You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.”

The proceedings have been marked by unpredictable behavior, including Thursday when Rossetti briefly paused the hearing. Officials at first said Crimo had asked to be brought to court. Defense attorneys later clarified that his request was about an issue unrelated to the sentencing.

Crimo declined to offer a statement to the court through his attorneys. The judge ordered consecutive sentences, and Crimo “will die in prison,” his public defender, Gregory Ticsay, said.

“He’s always known that he was facing life in prison,” Ticsay said. “He has spared this community the lengthy trial.”

While not unprecedented, it’s unusual for defendants to skip trial, especially sentencing, but constitutionally they have the right not to attend, said David Erickson, a former state appellate judge who teaches at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Often in violent cases, defendants will explain themselves or profess innocence before sentencing.

However, prosecutors said Crimo didn’t show any regret.

“He has sent forth an ocean of pain,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. “He was cavalier. He was arrogant. He was uncaring. He was smiling. He was laughing. He was ready with a metaphor. He was merciless.”

The seven people killed were Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and married couple Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.

This story has been corrected to show Crimo was sentenced to 50 years for the attempted murder charges, not 50 years for each count of attempted murder.

Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report from Madison, Wisconsin.

The chair where Robert E. Crimo III would have sat remains empty at the defense table after he chose not to attend his sentencing hearing at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti sentences Robert E. Crimo III to hundreds of years in prison for the 2022 mass shooting at the Independence Day Parade, at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Erica Weeder speaks about her and her husband, John Kezdy, being shot by Robert E. Crimo III during his sentencing hearing at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Craig Glodstein, the husband of Katie Goldstein, listens as his wife's killer, Robert E. Crimo III, is sentenced to hundreds of years in prison for the mass shooting that left seven dead and dozens injured, at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Erica Weeder holds a photo of her husband, John Kezdy, in her hands before she goes up to give her impact statement about the two of them being shot by Robert E. Crimo III during his sentencing hearing at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Joe Gutman looks up as his wife, Sheila Gutman, right, puts her head on his shoulder during the sentencing hearing for Robert E. Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering hugs shooting survivor Erica Weeder during the sentencing hearing for Robert E. Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Members of Eduardo Uvaldo's family react as Judge Rossetti sentences Robert E. Crimo III to natural life in prison for his murder during the sentencing hearing at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Judge Victoria Rossetti speaks with attorneys during the sentencing hearing of Robert Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Families react as Judge Victoria Rossetti sentences Robert Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Lake County States Attorney Eric Rinehart speaks with family members and survivors during the sentencing hearing of Robert Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Leah and Bruce Sundheim, the daughter and husband of Jacki Sundheim, react as Judge Victoria Rossetti sentences Robert Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill, on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Survivors and family members of those killed react as Judge Victoria Rossetti sentences Robert Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Members of the Uvaldo family react as Judge Victoria Rossetti sentences Robert Crimo III at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)

Judge Victoria A. Rossetti listens to Tracy Hartlieb while Tracy Hartlieb reads a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing for Robert E. Crimo III., at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, Pool)

Robert Crimo III, who did not appear, seat is empty at the defense table during the sentencing hearing for Crimo III., at the Lake County Courthouse, in Waukegan, Ill., Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, Pool)

FILE - Robert E. Crimo III watches the jury selection process during the first day of his trial, accused of opening fire on a suburban Chicago Independence Day parade, killing seven people, at the Lake County Courthouse, Waukegan, Ill., Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, Pool, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Known for their shot volume of putting the puck on net from just about every angle, the Carolina Hurricanes moved on to the Eastern Conference final by keeping the Washington Capitals from doing anything of the sort.

The Hurricanes eliminated the Capitals in five games with a tight-checking defensive effort that was a masterclass of the kind of hockey coach Rod Brind'Amour wants his team to play. They limited their second-round opponent to under 20 shots a night, including seven or fewer in 11 of the 15 regulation periods in the series.

“We’re a lot of just on top of guys," captain Jordan Staal said Thursday night after winning 3-1 to advance. “We just kind of give them the least amount of room and make them turn the puck over so we have the puck, and then when we have the puck, we try to move it as quick as we can into their end and grind them out.”

Carolina grinded through to a second East final appearance in three years in a total of 10 games. That certainly won't hurt 35-year-old goaltender Frederik Andersen, 40-year-old hulking defenseman Brent Burns or any players who might be nursing some bumps and bruises, such as Jalen Chatfield, who missed Game 5 with an undisclosed injury.

“Obviously, guys are getting banged up this time of year," defenseman Sean Walker said. "It’s a hard game, so rest definitely isn’t a bad thing.”

Brind'Amour hockey is a hard game in itself, requiring aggressive pressure without the puck to get it back. The captain when Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006, he is glad to get that kind of effort from a seasoned bunch willing to sacrifice and skate the extra few inches to take them away form the other team.

“What allows us to do that, I just think, is a high compete level,” Brind'Amour said. “That’s really all I can say about this group is just I’m proud of how they prepare and how much they play for each other.”

The praise was effusive from Capitals counterpart Spencer Carbery, who pointed to the shot totals as evidence of how dominant the Hurricanes were. Aliaksei Protas, a 30-goal scorer and Connor McMichael a 26-goal-scorer during the regular season, had three shots apiece.

Washington put nearly 27 shots on net during the regular season when it was the top team in the East. Same thing in the first round, beating Montreal in five games.

Facing Carolina is an entirely different animal.

“It is a great learning experience to feel what that just felt like because it was suffocating and guys had no space, could barely get shots off in that series,” Carbery said. “They are just relentless with their pressure and their ability to break plays up with their sticks. There’s no team in the league like it."

That's taking nothing away from Andersen, who allowed six goals on 95 shots in the series and made big saves when needed. But the Hurricanes also limited the quality scoring chances he had to face.

“The guys did a hell of a job,” Andersen said. “They support unbelievably hard with our game plan in mind as much as possible. I think that’s our game plan every night: to make it hard on the opponent to get anything going in our end.”

It's a game plan that has served the Hurricanes well making the playoffs in each of Brind'Amour's seven seasons behind the bench. But the difficulty level gets ratcheted up from here, potentially against defending champion Florida next, and Walker believes he and his teammates will maintain the same mindset that has made them successful.

“It’s just kind of the buy in, top down: the four lines, the three D-pairs, we’re all playing the same system and that’s a really suffocating game," Walker said. "We want to play in the O zone as much as we can, and when you’re doing that, you’re going to limit the amount of shots they have. I think we did that really well all series, and that’s going to be something that’s really important for us going forward.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) stops the puck in the third period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, left, and Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov, right, greet each other after Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, celebrates with defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (4) and defenseman Sean Walker (26) after Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)