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CHICAGO — The mother of Highland Park Independence Day shooting suspect Robert Crimo III had a troubled past marred by allegations of abuse against her ex-boyfriend and other run-ins with the law, according to court documents.
Denise Pezzina, 48, also allegedly left Crimo III, 21, in a hot car when he was a toddler and served 100 hours of community service for drunken driving in 2012.
Lake County court documents shed further light on Crimo III’s troubled childhood and his mother’s turbulent past.
On Monday, the 21-year-old was accused of killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more after he climbed onto a roof above a Fourth of July celebration and then opened fire.
HIGHLAND PARK FOURTH OF JULY GROWS UP WITH DRUNK PARENTS WHO OFTEN CALLED 911 AT HOME: DOCUMENTS
Police have arrested Robert “Bobby” E. Crimo III, 21, the suspect in the mass shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens more at the Fourth of July parade. (Associated Press/Catherine Rapple/Highland Park Police)
“If you grow up in such a traumatic environment, it can create an imbalance,” said John Kelly, a criminal profiler and psychotherapist who has interviewed numerous murderers. – No doubt.
He said early childhood is most important for a person’s formative years, but brain development can continue into the mid-20s.
In August 2002, when Crimo III was a toddler, Pessina left him in a hot car for 27 minutes while shopping at Toys ‘R Us.
“Defendant left Robert Crimo III unattended in a motor vehicle while the motor vehicle was parked in the Toys R-US (sic) parking lot, 1610 Deerfield Road, Highland Park, Lake County, Illinois, for approximately 27 minutes with the windows rolled up , the car was turned off and the outside temperature was about 79 degrees,” the warrant said. He was 2 years old then.
In August 2002, when Crimo III was a toddler, Pessina left him in a hot car for 27 minutes while shopping at Toys ‘R Us. (Fox News Digital)
That earned her a conviction for endangering the life or health of a child, a Class A felony.
“If nobody cared about him as a kid growing up, then he didn’t have that empathy,” Kelly told Fox News Digital Friday. “Why does he have no remorse, guilt, or empathy for other human beings? I’ve seen this with many serial killers because they’ve been abused.”
And in 2012, Pessina was sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service for driving under the influence after being pulled over with a flat tire and a BAC of .21%. She had “a strong odor of alcohol on her breath and passed out [field sobriety tests]”, a police officer wrote in a report at the time.
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She completed her community service in a “highly commendable manner with a good attitude,” according to a letter from her supervisor.
Photo illustration of accused 4th of July shooter Robert Crimo III with his father Bob Crimo (left) and mother Denise Pessina (right). (FBI Brochure/Facebook)
Also alleged are numerous 911 calls to the family’s Illinois home on McDaniels Avenue in which the parents repeatedly accused each other of verbally arguing. Many of the arguments ended with Robert Crimo Jr., Crimo III’s father, leaving for the night, either voluntarily or at the request of the police, and he was arrested at least once.
HIGHLAND PARK FOURTH OF JULY PARADE ATTACK: POLICE SAY SHOOTING OF SUSPECT’S FATHER STILL UNCLEAR
A shocking case occurred before the birth of Crimo III involving Pessina’s ex-boyfriend, Steven Brown.
In 1999, Pessina sought an order of protection against Brown, whom she accused of sexually abusing her 4-year-old daughter, Crimo III’s half-sister. The girl’s father had previously died of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to court documents. She also had to sue to establish paternity so that the child could have a share of Brown’s inheritance.
The mother and daughter went to counseling, and Pessina spent time in a hospital “due to the physical abuse of Stephen Brown.” Pessina also alleged that Brown harassed her and her daughter by making “unsolicited phone calls and showing up at their residence.”
Denise Pessina’s allegations of harassment and abuse against her ex-boyfriend Stephen Brown in 1999 (Fox News Digital)
Pessina had other problems with men besides her husband while Crimo III was growing up.
A man named David Daniels is listed in several police reports at the family’s home, claiming to be Pessina’s “boyfriend,” which she disputes.
She also accused her neighbor, William Hollander, of making unwanted advances on her, and Crimo Jr. called the police one night to say the neighbor had given his wife a bottle of wine.
Police also visited the family home twice in 2019 over alleged threats made by Crimo III, although his parents declined to press charges and no criminal charges have been filed.
If police or parents had intervened then, Kelly argued, Crimo III may not have been able to legally purchase the four firearms he later took, including the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle he allegedly used on time of slaughter.
A composite photo of alleged July 4th parade shooter Robert Crimo III (right) and his mother, Denise Pessina. (Facebook/FBI)
“The way it usually works is he was going to get arrested, he had to get a lawyer,” Kelly said. “The prosecutor would say, ‘Have him consult and give us reports on him. We want to make sure he’s not a danger.” … He would have been evaluated for mental health, and at this point I don’t know if he would still be able to buy the rifle.
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The first incident in April came after Crimo III allegedly threatened to kill himself. The second is about threats to kill his family. Later that year, he applied for an Illinois firearm ownership ID with his father’s sponsorship.
“I’ve seen it a million times where alcoholic parents then feel guilty because they drank and carried on and fought and everything while raising the child, and their guilt drives them to help out,” said Kelly, the criminal profiler. “And what this all means to him is, I don’t know everything because all the information isn’t out there, but it could create a situation where the father will help him by helping him purchase the rifle.”
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Send tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.
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