Chicago Mass Killer Sized up Synagogue at Passover, Security Director Spooked

Highland Park shooter Bobby Crimo 'sized-up' local synagogue at Passover and spooked security director who checked his bag for weapons at house of worship that sits just four blocks from massacre site

• Robert Crimo went to the local synagogue earlier this year to 'size it up', the site's volunteer security director has said
• Martin Blumenthal said that the 21-year-old was dressed all in black, with black gloves, as he entered the Chabad synagogue
• He was also carrying a backpack, which Blumenthal inspected to check for weapons. Crimo stayed in the synagogue for 45 minutes 
• Blumenthal was spooked by the encounter, but didn't report it, as Crimo didn't technically do anything wrong 
• Crimo murdered seven people on Monday during the July 4 parade in Highland Park - an area with a strong Jewish community
• No motive has yet been assigned, but Crimo, who was arrested on Monday afternoon, has been charged with murder 

Robert Crimo, 21, went to his local synagogue during Passover dressed entirely in black and with black gloves and a backpack, the volunteer security chief said on Tuesday

The mass-murderer who killed seven at a July 4 parade in Chicago 'sized-up' a synagogue just four blocks from the scene of the shooting earlier this year, a staffer says. 

Martin Blumenthal, volunteer security director of the Central Avenue Synagogue in Chicago's Highland Park, said Robert Crimo, 21, visited the house of worship in April this year, during Passover celebrations.

Blumenthal told Forward: 'He was definitely sizing up the synagogue.'

Crimo dressed in a black outfit, including a black hat and gloves. Blumenthal says he was sufficiently-unnerved by the strange young man's presence to squeeze the bag he was carrying, to check it for weapons.

Blumenthal added: 'He said his name was Bobby and he lived in the neighborhood. I watched him the whole time.'

Crimo ultimately stayed at the synagogue for around 45 minutes, before leaving quietly. Blumenthal said he didn't report the incident, because Crimo technically hadn't done anything wrong.

He explained: 'I profiled him. I knew what he was up to,' said Blumenthal. 'But he didn't cause a disturbance or anything. So I was just watching him.'

The Central Avenue Synagogue sits just four blocks from Gearheads, the outdoor goods store whose roof Crimo is believed to have fired the deadly shots from.

A possible motive for the mass-murder has not yet been shared by police, although Highland Park has a large Jewish community,  and three of the victims of the shooting were Jewish. 

Crimo was arrested Monday evening, and was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder Tuesday.

The synagogue was along the parade route and close to the spot where Crimo opened fire

Blumenthal told Forward that Crimo was wearing black gloves and black clothes 'in the goth style.'

He carried a backpack which Blumenthal said he examined to check for weapons.

'He said his name was Bobby and he lived in the neighborhood,' Blumenthal said.

'I watched him the whole time.'

Crimo stayed in the building for about 45 minutes, then left on his bicycle, Blumenthal said.  

The synagogue, which has armed guards, and where many of the worshippers are also armed, is along the parade route on Central Avenue - four blocks from where Crimo opened fire.

Jacki Sundheim, 63, coordinated events and used to teach preschool at North Shore Congregation Israel, a Reform synagogue in nearby Glencoe.

Other Jewish victims have been named as Stephen Straus, 88, and Catherine Goldstein, 64.

The seven murder charges against Crimo were announced in a press conference by the Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart on Tuesday. 

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole.

One of the victims identified, Jacki Sundheim, a longtime teacher at the  North Shore Congregation Israel synagogue, was shot and killed by the gunman, the synagogue announced in an email to congregants Monday night. 

 'Jacki was a lifelong congregant of NSCI and a cherished member of NSCI's staff team for decades,' the synagogue wrote in an email that announced her murder 'Jacki's work, kindness and warmth touched us all.'

Sundheim, was the Reform synagogue's events and b'nei mitzvah coordinator, according to its website. She is survived by her husband Bruce and daughter Leah, the Times of Israel reported. 

'There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki's death,' the synagogue added.