Convicted Highland Park parade shooter's sentencing hearing starts Wednesday
Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty last month to 21 counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of attempted first-degree murder just moments before opening statements were set to begin in his trial.
He faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. It is up to the judge whether to sentence him consecutively or concurrently.
Before a sentence is handed down, victims' families and survivors will first have the opportunity to take the stand.
We expect more than 50 statements recounting what happened that day, and how it has impacted them.
Those who were killed in the shooting included 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein, 35-year-old Irina McCarthy, 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim, 88-year-old Stephen Straus, 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, and 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo.
Another 48 people were wounded in the shooting, including Cooper Roberts, then 8, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Crimo repeatedly failed to attend court proceedings in his case before ultimately pleading guilty. During the three days of jury selection, he was only in court for the first half of each of the first two days, and was not in court at all on the final day of jury selection.
It is not clear if the shooter will be in the courtroom during the victims' statements.
Legal experts note that while he has the right to be present, he may choose not to attend. If he refuses, the judge could order the sheriff to bring him into court.
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