52 Lock Up: Independence Day Shooting; how American

Welcome back to 52 Lock Up, I am your Appletini Cadma of Bitten Apple TV. 52 lock up is a series I started to talk about one of my biggest passions of true crime. A new episode on every Cadmaniac Monday for 52 Mondays, 52 crimes. Hope you guys enjoy, be sure to like, leave some feedback and subscribe; Viewer discretion is always advised.

Let’s keep the American theme in today’s episode. Robert E Crimo III was born on September 20, 2000 to Chicago’s popular deli owner Robert Crimo jr. and alternative healer Denise Pesina. Robert who also went by the named Bobby has an older half sister Lynette and a younger brother named Sam. By the time Bobby was 2 years old his mother would be arrested for child endangerment after allegedly leaving him in a locked car at a Toys-R-Us parking lot for about 27 minutes on a 79 degree day with the windows rolled up; according to court documents.

Growing up Bobby the third was relatively quiet and kept to himself. His parents signed him for different school programs but were often too busy. At 6 years old was signed up for the Cub Scouts where he learned to build fires and camp in the woods.

He would attend Lincoln Elementary School and later would be joined by his baby brother Sam; together the brothers were placed in after school programs like LEAP from 2008 to 2014. The school noticed there were issues with the brothers being picked up from the after school program. The program ended at 4:30 p.m. but frequently there was no one available to pick them up at an appropriate time. It was described by the school and one of the school’s directors Jeremy Cahnmann commented that they took note of how late the parents always were to picking up the kids. The described the father as always too busy with running the deli and the mother as flighty. It became so problematic that the school had a meeting with the parents about this. Apparently there was commentary that Bobby would feel neglected as a child. This can be a common thing when parents are trying to take care of their kids and they spend more time taking care of the money situation and place their kids in after school programs to allow them flexibility; but who knows I was not there.

However, during those years the parents were known for fighting and In one 2010 incident, the father alleged that the mom Denise "had hit him with a screwdriver on the left forearm" -- before recanting once he got to the police station -- and in another, he claimed she hit him on the head with a shoe. Denise commented that He threatens to call the police for any and every argument we get in," she wrote in one handwritten witness statement. "He says he wants the police to think I'm crazy." It’s giving me very toxic relationship, War of the Roses kind of vibe.

In 2014 Bobby III would attend Highland Park High School and make friends with 2 brothers Nicolas and Andres Lopez. Nicolas stated that they would do high school stuff and smoke; and it was a group of 5 kids that were friends. The brothers stated that there was nothing during the time of their friendship that gave them reason to think Bobby would be a problem. In 2017, the Lopez brothers would be hit with the heroin overdose of their older brother Anthony LaPorte; which Andres Lopez recalls Bobby took it very hard and would state that Anthony LaPorte was one of his only friends. They also recalled that around this time there was someone that he was interested in and the article I read referred to her as a woman; but they were both 17 year old kids. The Lopez brothers remember a side of a story that Bobby and who he was dating broke up; and after the break up he began acting weird and extremely reclusive.

Bobby III would drop out of high school in 2016 and work at Panera Bread, however, there was a girl there he liked who was his near neighbor. This was not a relationship or even dating. He approached her and she politely rejected him. He tried telling her that he wanted to open up a sandwich shop with his father and then told her “no I want to stay at Panera if you are working there. I want to stay with you.” She responded with “don't do that” because she only wanted to be friends; even apologized if her nice demeanor gave him the wrong impression. After that she gradually stopped talking to him, she did not comment why; but it could be she felt bad or maybe he was trying to make her feel bad. This is the “breakup” that the Lopez brothers would notice when Bobby began to change.

During all of this, Robert Crimo III would be working on his online rap career. He had been uploading videos and music since he was 11 years old. On Spotify he released his first rap album in 2017 between working on his music and playing his game Hitman; and even cosplaying the character. The people around him noticed he had an obsession with the number 47, so much that it would be painted on his car and tattooed on his face.

In 2018, grandfather Robert Crimo would pass away and leave the house to his son Robert Crimo Jr. The house would be in the family for years until the recent years. At some unknown point Bobby’s parents would separate and he would live with his mother Denise. It is unknown to why they separated besides not having enough time. Bobby would release his hip hop song “On My Mind” on October 8th, 2018. His videos are what in hindsight seem like hints now.

He would upload videos to his music like him appearing in a classroom wearing a black bicycle helmet where he says “like a sleepwalker I know what I have to do” and “everything has led up to this. Nothing can stop me, even myself.” Apparently his Spotify page totaled an average of 16,466 monthly listeners. However, happiness and success would be fleeting from him. While Robert Crimo III was working on his YouTube music career his father was continuing to rack up a mountain of debt. In late 2018, Bobby jr owed a lender $764,000 who would sue him and the judge would side with the lender; it is unknown if the debt was ever paid.

At some point Denise and Bobby jr separate but it is unclear of when because he stayed at his father’s old property and at the house back and forth.

Towards the end of 2018 Dad Bobby jr’s shop is not doing so well and by 2019 he decides to run for Mayor against Nancy Rotering. He wanted to improve local ordinances to help downtown businesses thrive; probably from piling of debt he was racking.

Although he had a goal publicly stated but it was unclear to how serious he took the race. State records show Crimo didn't receive any campaign donations other than a $560 loan from himself, which he spent on yard signs. In the end, Nancy won 72% of the vote in the April 2019 election. Right after losing to Nancy, Bobby Crimo III attempts to commit suicide by machete according to police reports but they also noted that “mental health professionals” handled the episode.

Bobby III continues to make his music and creates videos that included cartoon images of a gunman pointing a large rifle and other people spurting blood. There’s another video of a gunman lying in a pool of blood near police cars. He would also make other videos with a newspaper displayed on the wall behind him with the headline about the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald (if you do not know who that is, look up the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963). Bobby was keeping himself busy online as “Awake the Rapper” with music videos references mass shootings.

Bobby jr’s shop becomes more and more vacant as he is drowning in debt in September 2019.

With everything that was going on, it seemed the family had minimal communication with him and each other. Uncle Paul Crimo describes his nephew as quiet but did not have a relationship with him. Bobby III was also not shy about being a MAGA supporter and would post himself at Trump Rallies all over his social media accounts. He spent much of his time also on twitter and 4chan; dam it that site again. I think it is so interesting what happens with 4chan and yet if I duet someone else’s video of someone saying “i told my daughter if rape is inevitable, then sit back and enjoy” with no reactions; I get a community guideline violation. Weird.

Speaking of 2019, this is also the year that Illinois would enact their Firearms Restraining Order Act which allows family members to apply for a court order so that authorities can confiscate weapons from those deemed to be dangerous; that will be important later.

Back to September 2019 Bobby III threatened that he was going to kill everyone in the family. He would have the cops called on him and Bobby III would admit to the cops that he was depressed and had a history of drug use, according to the report. Bobby jr would later state “I didn’t know about the incident” but it turns out that Dad Bobby Jr was the one who turned over a collection of 16 knives, a dagger and a "Samurai type blade" to police, and when officers sent the Illinois State Police a "clear and present danger" report related to the threats Bobby made. But the state police declined to approve that determination, which could have blocked Bobby from buying guns, because there wasn't enough evidence to do so.

In December 2019, HSBC Bank filed for foreclosure on their Highland Park house, where Bobby III had grown up. Dad Crimo Jr. owed more than $460,000. The case was delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the lender restarted efforts to take possession of the home recently. The family would be put out if they did not catch up on payments. Today about $200K is owed on the family home and valued at close to $400K. Bobby at 20 years old in 2020 is pissed. Around this time I believe going into 2020, Bobby III moves into an apartment behind his father’s grandfather’s home (that was left to him when he died) but daddy Jr. was already struggling with payments.

It’s December 2020 and he decides to go shopping for guns. He was underaged. Remember the Firearms Restraining Order Act enacted in 2019 that would allow family members have firearms confiscated, instead the first weapon was “sponsored” by his father Bobby Jr. who signed off on the papers for his soon, three months after the knives incident.

He would later state he had no idea about Bobby’s mental state or the clear and present dangers it would present; which was not true. Remember the knives, swords and threats to kill everyone; dad was the one that there to collect the knives. This gives me insight that both parents were not that involved in their son’s life. I can see he worked his ass off. I can see he provided a roof over their heads. I can see all that but where were the other aspects of parenting that matters; each child is different and has different needs whether you’re looking at yourself, your kids, your grandparents, a stranger, your friend.

This has nothing to do with the generation of people being “softer” or “different”, I mean look at Milk Carton Poster Era. Everyone has different needs and it seems like the parents were more focused on fighting each other than the kids needs; a lot of us know that feeling and experience. Bobby jr. seemed to see his son’s “threats” and “gun interests” as childish outbursts and nothing more.

Bobby III would purchase over time 5 firearms including the AR-15 style rifle in total by 2021. So weighing 120lbs soaking wet at 5’11” Bobby after stocking up on his goal of having enough guns and ammo, Bobby III would begin planning what kind of shooting he wanted to do.

Money troubles continue to pile up and in April 2022, a mortgage servicing company filed to foreclose on a second property Bobby jr owns in the neighboring town of Highwood. Bobby jr. Owed more than $197,000 and stopped making payments since July 2020.

For your information, Highland Park, Illinois about 25 miles north of Chicago was scheduled for their annual Fourth of July parade. 10 minutes into the parade beginning, Bobby III would open fire onto the unsuspecting crowd causing a stampede of people, killing 7 and injuring 39 people including 5 children. He would flee the scene dressed as a woman to avoid detecting. He returned home and asked his mom for the car and began to drive away. He would be found hours later

7 dead, 39 injured

The Lake County Coroner identified the victims killed as

64 year old Katherine Goldstein

63 year old Jacquelyn Sundheim

88 year old Stephen Straus

78 year old Nicolas Toledo-Zargoza

69 year old Eduardo Uvaldo

And couple 35 year old Irina McCarthy with her 37 year old husband Kevin McCarthy.

It would later be discovered that the father used his body to shield his 2 year old son who was lumped under his dead father covered in his blood. When the 2 year old emerged from under his father’s body he began walking through the parade until a stranger picked him up.

Parade Goer Greg Ring states “‘When we pulled in, it looked like the cops were getting ready for war; I'll never forget. I pulled up, and I said, 'this is not our kid. It's not his blood; he's OK. What should we do?’ And the cop said, ‘we can't be babysitters now; can you take care of him?' We said, 'of course,". Aiden’s photos would be posted online to identify the child and a neighbor Adrienne Rosenblatt saw him; and has been returned to his grandparents to now be taken care of; the child keeps saying “mommy and daddy will come soon”.

Police continued to urge witnesses to submit any photos or videos of the scene that may be of use in their investigation; 1-800-Call-FBI. Bobby III was questioned by the Highland Park Police Department, he was, read his Miranda warnings, attorneys, et cetera. He went into details about what he had done. The judge scheduled the next hearing in Bobby III case for July 28 for his 7 counts of murder in the first degree. Bobby jr stated he wants a long sentence for his son Bobby III.

A friend of Bobby jr. would state that “His kid shot up his hometown, and he's going to have to come to terms with that action and, honestly, the role he played in his son's evolution as a person," one friend said. "It was his son's name on the news -- and that's his name, too."

Still fighting regulations for guns; did you know the JR-15 was released for kids to have their kid version of an AR-15 that shoots about 10 rounds I believe. It has kids skull and cross bone cartoon on it and says “just like mommy and daddy’s”.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost…The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men - cries out for universal brotherhood - for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world - millions of despairing men, women, and little children - victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. Liberty, the American dream right; cause you have to be asleep to believe it.

GO FUND ME’s

Go Fund Me for Aiden McCarthy, the 2 year old whose both his parents died in the shooting. https://www.gofundme.com/f/irina-and-kevin-mccarthy

Go Fund Me for Nicolas Toledo’s family to help bury their grandfather

https://www.gofundme.com/f/mario-nicolas-toledo?qid=29cf7f088306d28ae45bcb01549b5916

Go Fund Me for Eduardo Uvaldo who was shot in the arm and the back of the head, he’s on life support and the doctors can’t do anything for him. His wife and grandson were injured as well.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ua5pks-highland-park-shooting

References

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/05/highland-park-shooting/

https://nypost.com/2022/07/05/highland-park-parade-shooting-suspect-robert-crimo-threatened-to-kill-his-family-in-2019/

https://www.the-sun.com/news/5702367/robert-bobby-crimo-iii-highland-park-shooting-suspect/

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/robert-bobby-e-crimo-iii-awake-the-rapper

https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2398593-robert-bobby-e-crimo-iii-awake-the-rapper#trending-bar

https://www.gmtoday.com/news/illinois/robert-crimo-iii-s-family-noticed-nothing-amiss-but-social-media-posts-painted-a-darker/article_89b18c3e-fc64-11ec-b136-c76625371202.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/07/05/robert-crimo-iiis-weapon-was-legally-obtained-what-we-know-about-the-person-of-interest-in-highland-park-shooting/?sh=2678483d3607

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/us/highland-park-suspect-family.html

https://nypost.com/2022/07/04/highland-park-parade-shooting-suspect-robert-crimos-disturbing-social-media/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/highland-park-shooting-robert-crimo-iii-who-is/

https://heavy.com/news/robert-crimo-iii/

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-did-we-survive-survivors-detail-escaping-the-highland-park-parade-shooting/

https://abc7chicago.com/highland-park-parade-shooting-irina-mccarthy-kevin/12022140/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/these-are-the-names-of-the-highland-park-parade-shooting-victims-idd-so-far/2874101/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/05/highland-park-victims-list-parade-shooting/7806497001/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/4/23194354/highland-park-fourth-july-parade-gunfire

https://www.today.com/news/news/victims-highland-park-fourth-july-parade-shooting-rcna36813

https://abc7.com/aiden-mccarthy-gofundme-kevin-irina-toddler-highland-park-orphan/12021893/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/7/5/23195969/highland-park-mass-shooting-fourth-july-parade-irina-kevin-mccarthy-aiden-victims

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/highland-park-parade-shooting-illinois-07-06-22/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/us/victims-highland-park-illinois-shooting-fourth-of-july/index.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/edward-uvaldo-seventh-victim-highland-park-mass-shooting/

https://nypost.com/2022/07/06/robert-crimo-iiis-parents-offer-thoughts-and-prayers/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10985503/Highland-Park-gunman-faced-life-streets-home-set-foreclosure-years-end.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11125672/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/wd7wnw/why-men-kill-their-mothers