The lawyers that were hired by Crimo’s family to defend the Highland Park shooting suspect Robert Crimo III during his first court appearance – reportedly walked out.
According to reports, there were two lawyers connected to the shooting suspect in the case of the mass shooting on the Fourth of July in Highland Park, Illinois, which left seven people dead and dozens of others injured.
However, both layers have separately announced that they are stepping down due to “conflicts.”
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.
During the shooting suspect’s bond court hearing on Wednesday, criminal defense attorney Tom Durkin told the judge he was informed that he had a “conflict of interest” relating to the case and could no longer represent the 21-year-old man accused of first-degree murder.
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.
Steve Greenberg, a defense attorney who previously represented R. Kelly, was hired by the suspected shooter’s parents in the days after the shooting.
He took to Facebook Wednesday in defense of his clients in a post that has since been taken down publicly. In the message, Greenberg suggested “looking to cast blame” on therapists, coworkers, and friends of the suspect for not reporting alleged troubling statements, as well as the state police who approved his gun permit application and the gun stores that “sell anybody military-grade assault weapons.”
But the next day, he announced on Twitter that a “conflict” had arisen and he would no longer be representing the suspected shooter’s parents.
Sources: TheGatewayPundit, The Western Journal, CBS
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