The mass shooter who admitted to killing seven people and wounding dozens of others during a 2022 Illinois Independence Day parade in Highland Park has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Robert Crimo, 24, received seven life sentences for the killings and 50 years for 48 counts of attempted murder in the north Chicago suburb of Waukegan, Illinois.

“This court has absolutely no words that could adequately describe and capture the horror and pain that was inflicted on July 4th,” said Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti at the sentencing hearing.

She said Crimo, who wasn’t present at the sentencing, “is irretrievably depraved, permanently incorrigible, irreparably corrupt and beyond any rehabilitation.”

Rossetti followed the requests of the prosecutors in handing down the sentence after hearing emotional testimony from survivors and the relatives of the murdered.

The proceedings have been marked by unpredictable behavior, including Thursday when Rossetti briefly paused the hearing because Crimo changed his mind and was being escorted to the hearing. However, his defense attorneys later said it was for an unrelated issue and he went back to his Lake County jail cell.

Robert Crimo was given seven life sentences for the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, in July 2022 (via REUTERS)

Crimo, who didn’t put forward a statement to the court, “will die in prison,” public defender Gregory Ticsay said.

Shortly before jurors were set to report for opening statements last month, Crimo pleaded guilty.

“He’s always known that he was facing life in prison,” Ticsay added. “He has spared this community the lengthy trial.”

The dozens wounded include people in their 80s and an eight-year-old boy who was paralyzed from the waist down.

Those killed included Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; Eduardo Uvaldo, 69; and a married couple, Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35.

Seven people were killed in the shooting in Illinois, while others were left with life-changing injuries. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Before his guilty plea, Crimo backed out of a plea deal, fired his public defenders, and went back on his decision to represent himself.

When he waived his right to a trial, he signed his name and that of President Donald Trump. The 24-year-old has skipped a number of hearings in the face of warnings from the judge that the case would go on without him.

Survivors called Crimo a coward for not being present at the hearing, while others said seeing him made them anxious. One person said they forgave him, pointing to their faith.

Liz Turnipseed was injured in the shooting and now uses a cane. She said Crimo skipping court was part of his “antics” and, “I don’t need to see his face. I know what he looks like.”

A visitor prays at a memorial to the seven people killed and others injured in the Fourth of July mass shooting at the Highland Park War Memorial. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

It’s unusual for defendants to skip their trials, particularly the sentencing stage, but they do have the right to be absent, according to former state appellate judge David Erickson.

“Certainly in crimes of violence it’s not unusual for a defendant to show some remorse,” he said.

In this case, however, both Rossetti and the prosecutors said Crimo didn’t appear to show any remorse. Crimo was in full control of his actions during the shooting, when he fired 83 shots over the course of 40 seconds from the roof of a building near the parade route in downtown Highland Park, according to prosecutors.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart called the actions Crimo’s “evil plan.”

“He intended to end the happiness that he saw around him,” he added, referring to the gunman as “merciless.”

Prosecutors presented evidence that they had prepared in the event of a trial, such as footage from Crimo’s recorded confession. With a blank expression, slumped in a chair, Crimo said that he briefly reconsidered the attack as he fixed an issue with a firearm, but that he ultimately decided to move forward.

“I walked up the stairs, jumped on the roof, and opened fire,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report