Robert Crimo III, suspect in July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, Ill., refuses to change plea at Wednesday hearing

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooting suspect Robert Crimo III refused to change his plea during a hearing Wednesday.

The courtroom was full of survivors and they are devastated by what happened in court.

Robert Crimo III was expected to change his plea from not guilty to guilty, but he apparently changed his mind.

The 23-year-old man was seated in a wheelchair, for unknown reasons, during the case management conference.

Prosecutors reviewed the terms of the plea deal in which Crimo pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

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The agreed negotiation was for a sentence of natural life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

When the judge asked Crimo if those conditions were ones he agreed to, he remained silent, shrugged his shoulders and looked at the people sitting in the courtroom behind him.

His defense attorneys then began whispering to him, then the judge gave them a short break to talk. A few minutes later they returned and Crimo denied their request.

Crimo is accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens more during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park in 2022.

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Survivors were present in the courtroom, ready to move on to the sentencing phase Wednesday. They were prepared to make a victim impact statement, but that was not the case.

Crimo's father left the court without comment. When asked if he knew why his son changed his mind, he continued to say he had no comment.

Crimo III has changed his mind in the past, wanting to get rid of his public defenders and represent himself.

This new development is a hard blow for families who hoped to close this chapter before the two-year mark of filming, in about a week.

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Meanwhile, the case will go to trial as originally scheduled in February next year.

The victims had hoped to avoid this and not relive the pain of that day and the following days.