The mother of the close buddy who used to skate with Robert Crimo in Highland Park said the shooting “blows her mind” and that the quiet boy will “get what he deserves.”
Michelle Rebollar described how Crimo spoke at Anthony LaPorte’s funeral in August 2017 after he passed away from a heroin overdose and even shared a video of the eulogy with The Daily Beast.
In a video from the burial, Crimo remarked, “My name is Bobby, and Anthony was the person I would call when I couldn’t sleep, and he would always reply.”
And he was always available to hang out with, which made me feel like I wasn’t alone anymore and that I had someone there who was genuinely there.
We would frequently just continue walking because none of us could fall asleep and our chats would be so in-depth. I had a lot of love for Anthony. Crimo remarked that he was a pretty wonderful friend.
Rebollar expressed her “broken heart” about her son’s proximity to the 21-year-old suspect suspected of killing seven people and injuring dozens more during a July 4 procession.
“It broke my heart that my kid, who had the kindest disposition in the world, would have brought a bug outside rather than kill it,” the mother said.
It’s really horrible that he would be associated with Crimo in any way, shape, or form. Rebollar responded, “Because he would never have done something like this to anybody.”
He most likely cared deeply about Bobby and tried everything in his power to help him.
Rebollar stated that she believes Crimo has changed significantly from the awkward youngster who confided in a church five years ago as a result of his recent alarming activity on social media, which includes a number of rap songs and videos that make reference to mass shootings.
What transpired between then and today, then? She spoke. If you reach the point of wanting to murder people in the city where you first learnt to skateboard, what happened?
She guessed that Crimo’s spiral may have started after her son’s death, when he lost Anthony as his main confidant and found himself without a safety net.
Because Anthony had had many intrusive, unpleasant ideas, it is possible that he was the only one with whom [Crimo] could truly be honest about his thoughts before he passed away. Thus, he realized.
Watching the footage of Crimo speaking at her son’s burial again, according to Rebollar, was nearly “touching” to witness his mental state at the time. And, she added, “I don’t want to be touching about a mass killer.”
“It’s terrible. There is no excuse, he could have gotten assistance, he could have told someone, but how do you even know who to tell if no one has ever been there for you?
Rebollar told the Daily Beast that she feels little sympathy for the murderer, regardless of who he once was or what he might have become had he gotten help.
How on earth can you possibly feel anything for Bobby? You consider all the victims, so how can you possibly feel bad? I don’t feel awful for his future, she remarked. I believe he will receive justice.
On Wednesday morning, Crimo appeared in court through Zoom and was charged with many murders as the prosecution revealed further information about his bloody spree.
He asked for a public defender while speaking gently to the court and stating that he was without counsel. He came via Zoom from a room at the Lake County Jail.
He was all-black, with his long, dark hair covering one eye, and moved on his feet.
Judge Theodore S. Potkonjak refused to grant him a release, therefore he will remain in detention until his next court appearance on July 25.
Due to an unforeseen, last-minute conflict of interest, Tom Durkin, the lawyer who had been retained to represent him, withdrew.
The public defender will now defend Crimo.
It was disclosed during the court hearing;
Crimo carried out the attack with a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 that was legally purchased.
2020 Crimo purchased the weapon, which costs about $800, and fired 83 shots in all before fleeing from the building’s roof along the parade route.
He dropped the firearm while fleeing the parade, and police found him by following the serial number of the gun to his house.
He fully confessed to the police after being taken into prison, saying he “looked down, aimed, and fired” into the throng.
He claimed he covered his facial and neck tattoos with makeup and dressed “like a girl.”
Additionally, it’s been revealed that following the shooting, Crimo took his mother’s car to Madison, Wisconsin, where he happened across another July 4th party.
While police are still unsure of his precise motivation for the killing spree, they did establish on Wednesday that he was fixated with the number 47, which is the inverse of the date 7/4, the Fourth of July.
After Crimo’s court appearance, Lake County Major Crime Task Force Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said: “His motivation isn’t necessarily clear; I don’t want to go into particularly what he told investigators, but, he had some type of affinity for the number 4 and 7, and inverse 7 and 4.”
We have no evidence that he initially intended to drive to Madison to carry out a second attack. We are confident that he witnessed the celebration (in Madison) while driving around after the initial attack.
According to Covelli, there are “indications” that Crimo didn’t plan it out as carefully as he had with Highland Park, which is why he didn’t follow through.
Crimo’s mugshots, which were previously made public, show him standing motionless in a black t-shirt with his dark hair covering one of his eyes.
His neck and cheek tattoos are clearly visible.
Meanwhile, the defense attorney for his parents has defended them and insisted that there were “no red signals” that they should have reported to the police.
In 2019, when Crimo was 19 and only two months after an incident that resulted in police being called to the family home, his father backed his application for a FOID card, the license required to purchase firearms.
Following that altercation, police seized 16 knives because Crimo had “threatened to kill everyone.”
His family claims that police returned the knives two weeks later and that he was not detained.
Crimo’s mother and father are not indicted, but they have hired Steve Greenberg, a local who initially denounced the massacre on Twitter on Monday before understanding that it was his friends’ kid who was to blame. Greenberg represents Crimo’s parents.
Two additional legal professionals from a different firm are defending Crimo.
He appeared on NewsNation on Tuesday night to say that his clients Bob Crimo and Denise Pesina did nothing illegal and to refute the police’s assertions that they twice called to the family home in 2019.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever aware of any warning signs that would lead them to believe that their son is going to go out and start shooting people in their own town,” the author says.
“I believe they would have taken action if they had noticed any indications of it.” Parents who are responsible, according to Greenberg.
On Tuesday, police disclosed how, in 2019, when Crimo was 19 years old, his father sponsored him for a FOID card, the document required to purchase a firearm. It had been two months since a house invasion during which police allegedly seized 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword after Bobby allegedly vowed to “murder everyone” in his family.
The father’s attorney stated on Tuesday that police ‘couldn’t have been too concerned’ because they returned the knives to Bobby two weeks later despite the heightened scrutiny surrounding his choice to assist his son in purchasing a pistol.
Two weeks after they had taken the knives, the police gave them back. It’s unlikely that the police were overly concerned. There was a disagreement, but it was settled.
The more pressing question is how a 20 or 21-year-old may obtain a FOID card and buy a military-style weapon. Not how did he obtain a FOID card when there were no red flags and it was entirely legal, but rather that is the question we should be asking.
Additionally, he refuted the account of the incident that was made public by the authorities yesterday.
They have denied that he ever threatened to murder everyone and that they have ever said he was suicidal.
If he had, the police would have intervened and put him under psychiatric observation. I’m not certain that’s exactly what happened, he said.
The massacre, according to Greenberg, was tragic “all the way around,” including for the shooter’s parents.
“Consider waking up one day and learning that a loved one attended a parade and was killed. Consider learning that your child might never be released from prison. It’s really a terrible tragedy for everyone concerned on every level.
Crimo and his parents have spoken since the incident, he continued, and they were all working with the authorities.
He remarked, “They told him they loved him, and he told them he loved them.”