Highland Park Massacre Suspect's First Court Appearance Turns Bizarre as His Attorney Quits Mid-Hearing
Highland Park shooting suspect Robert Crimo III lost his attorney on July 6 as he made his first court appearance.
In a video hearing, defense attorney Tom Durkin was first unable to access the Zoom session.
Once that glitch was resolved, a more serious one emerged. Durkin, who had been hired by Crimo’s family, said he has since learned he has a potential conflict of interest.
Tweets logged the confusion as it played out.
Private attorney Tom Durkin, who had indicated he’d be representing Crimo, is apparently trying to join the Zoom, which has nearly 100 participants.
— Matt Masterson (@ByMattMasterson) July 6, 2022
A bit of confusion in Lake County bond court right now.
(This is all on virtual)
Crimo, the alleged shooter, says he does NOT have private counsel.
The person who said he’s his lawyer – Tom Durkin – says he’s there, they just can’t see or hear him.
— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) July 6, 2022
NEW: The parents of the suspect retained attorneys Tom Durkin and Josh Herman to represent their son last night, but a conflict of interest prevents Durkin. Crimo will now be assigned a public defender. A preliminary hearing is set for July 28 at 1:30. @FoxNewsMMR https://t.co/aX0DncN6W4
— Mills Hayes (@MillsHayesTV) July 6, 2022
Crimo will be represented (at least for now) by a public defender.
Veteran defense attorney Tom Durkin had initially agreed to represent Crimo but he learned late last night he had a “personal conflict” that he learned from family, he said.
— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) July 6, 2022
That means Crimo, who was ordered to be held without bail, will be represented by a public defender.
Crimo’s only comment during the hearing was to say he did not have an attorney.
During his court appearance, prosecutors said more than 80 rounds were fired Monday in the shooting that left seven people dead and at least 38 wounded, according to CBS.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Chris Covelli stated that Crimo drove to Wisconsin after the Highland Park shooting. Crimo “seriously contemplated using the firearm he had in his vehicle to commit another shooting in Madison” after seeing a celebration in that community.
Covelli said Crimo had a second rifle and 60 rounds of ammunition with him. Crimo disposed of his cell phone in Middleton, Wisconsin, and then went back to Illinois.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said during Crimo’s bond hearing that Crimo made a voluntary confession. Prosecutors said Crimo confessed to dressing in women’s clothing and using makeup to cover his tattoos.
Dillon said surveillance video showed Crimo using a fire escape ladder to access the rooftop from which the shots were fired. He was also shown leaving the scene.
The rifle he discarded was found. Authorities used the serial number to trace the gun back to Crimo.
Dillon said Crimo admitted firing two full 30-round magazines and then continued on to a third one. He said 83 spent shell casings were recovered.
Tom Durkin, an attorney hired by the Crimo family, is now speaking. He said he is making a brief appearance, but after being hired found he has a conflict of interest.
Durkin said Crimo will need a public defender.
— Andrew Havranek (@Andrew_Havranek) July 6, 2022
Covelli added that Crimo “had some type of affinity toward the number 4 and 7, and inverse with 7/4,” suggesting the date of July 4 may have been significant.
“It apparently comes from music that he’s interested in,” Covelli said.
Covelli stated that there is “no information to suggest at this point it was racially motivated, motivated by religion or any other protected status.”
Covelli said Crimo “walked to his mother’s home who lived in the area and he blended right in with everybody else as they were running around almost as he was an innocent spectator as well.”
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