Highland Park shooting suspect’s mother was convicted of abandoning him in hot car when he was two

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

The mother of accused Highland Park shooter Robert Crimo was convicted of abandoning him in a hot car when he was just two years old, according to newly-released police records.

In the shocking incident in 2002, Denise Pesina left her toddler son alone inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a toy store for around 27 minutes.

The windows of the car were rolled all the way up and it was 79 degrees outside.

Ms Pesina pleaded guilty to child endangerment over the incident, while it remains unclear if a then-two-year-old Mr Crimo sustained any injuries.

The disturbing incident is just one of many interactions between law enforcement and the family of the man now accused of murdering seven and wounding dozens more in the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.

Highland Park police records, obtained by the Chicago Tribune, reveal that officers were called to Mr Crimo’s home at least nine times between 2010 and 2014 over domestic disputes between his mother Ms Pesina and father Bob Crimo.

In one incident, Bob Crimo – who made a failed bid for mayor and sponsored his son’s state firearm permit when he was just 19 years old – accused Ms Pesina of hitting him with a shoe while in another he claimed she attacked him with a screwdriver.

The new details offer a glimpse into the troubled home life of the 21-year-old accused mass shooter, as his parents continue to brush off any responsibility for his alleged crimes and his father says he has no regrets for signing his application for a firearm permit.

In August 2010, Highland Park Police were called to the family’s home when Bob Crimo said Ms Pesina was drunk and hit him in the head with a shoe.

Ms Pesina told officers that he had “disrespected and belittled” her and made comments about her appearance, which had driven her to drink, according to the records.

Officers then offered Ms Pesina information about domestic violence but she allegedly told them she already had the details from a previous incident just days earlier.

Two months later, police were called to the home again over another physical altercation between the couple.

During that incident, Bob Crimo claimed that Ms Pesina hit him with a screwdriver and “trash-talked” him, while she claimed he called her names and made “mean” comments. Bob Crimo later retracted his allegation about the screwdriver.

In two separate occasions – one in 2011 and one in 2013 – the couple also called the police claiming the other was trying to drink drive.

In 2012, Ms Pesina pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

A neighbour of the family told the Tribune that it was almost a weekly occurrence that police would be called to the home while Mr Crimo was growing up, before the parents stopped living together.

Years later in 2019, police were then called to two separate incidents involving Mr Crimo himself including one where he allegedly threatened to kill his family members.

On 5 September 2019, officers responded to a wellbeing check at the suspect’s home after Mr Crimo had “stated that he was going to kill everyone”.

The victim, a family member who was a minor at the time, said that they were “afraid to go home due to the nature of this threat” and because there was “a collection of knives in [Mr Crimo’s] bedroom”.

When officers spoke to Mr Crimo and his mother at the home, the then-18-year-old admitted that he was “depressed” and had a history of drug use, according to a police report released by Illinois State Police.

Police confiscated a trove of knives from his bedroom at the time including a 24-inch Samurai type sword, a 12-inch dagger and a tin lunch box with 16 hand knives – which were then collected just four hours later by Mr Crimo’s father after he claimed the knives were his and he had been storing them in his son’s room for “safekeeping”.

The incident in September also came five months after police were called to the home for the first time that April when Mr Crimo allegedly tried to kill himself with a machete.

But, despite the warning signs about Mr Crimo’s disturbing behaviour, his father sponsored his son’s application for an FOID card that December – just three months after family members reported him for allegedly threatening to kill them.

As he was under the age of 21 at the time, state law required him to have the consent of a parent or guardian.

And, in January 2020 – despite being sent the police reports about the incidents – the Illinois State Police (ISP) approved the FOID application.

In a press release earlier this week, the ISP that “there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger and deny the FOID application”.

Steve Greenberg, an attorney who briefly represented Mr Crimo’s parents, claimed that Bob Crimo was not aware of the September 2019 threats when he sponsored his son’s FOID card application that December.

The police report tells a different story, showing officers spoke to the father during the encounter and that he then collected the trove of knives from the police four hours after they were confiscated.

Bob Crimo, who made a failed run for mayor against current Mayor Nancy Rotering, then appeared to admit his awareness of the threats in an interview with the New York Post saying that the threats were “taken out of context” and were “just a child’s outburst”.

He also denied any potential culpability for this week’s massacre saying he had “zero” involvement saying – while he signed his son’s initial FOID application – his son purchased all the guns himself.

Mr Greenberg, who previously represented R Kelly, spoke out to say it wasn’t the parents’ fault instead blaming the “system” that allowed him to buy military-grade assault rifles.

Mr Greenberg stood down as the parents’ attorney on Thursday, citing an unnamed conflict of interest had arisen.

Questions are now being raised around whether either of the parents could face charges.

Following the attack on 4 July, Mr Crimo returned to his mother’s home and borrowed her car, police said.

He drove all the way to Madison, Wisconsin, where he considered another attack before returning to Illinois where he was arrested.

Ms Pesina was caught on video confronting a SWAT team on Monday as law enforcement agencies hunted for her son.

Officials are also facing questions around whether warning signs were missed as Mr Crimo was able to legally purchase at least five firearms despite his encounters with law enforcement and his disturbing online content.

After the ISP granted his FOID at the age of 19, Mr Crimo went on to pass four federal background checks while purchasing firearms.

One of those firearms was the high-powered Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle he allegedly used in Monday’s attack to gun down parade-goers from a sniper position on a nearby roof.

Law enforcement officials said that they were also unaware of the disturbing online content posted by the suspect prior to Monday’s attack.

Several disturbing videos glorifying violence, firearms and mass shootings were posted online by the suspect.

Seven victims were killed in the mass shooting as Mr Crimo opened fire during what should have been a family-friendly celebration.

The 21-year-old was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday. Prosecutors said more charges will be filed in the coming days.

If convicted of the charges, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to appear in court next on 28 July.

This article was amended on 3 August 2021. It originally made a reference to Indiana State Police, but should have referred to Illinois State Police.