Judge Victoria A. Rossetti asks the accused Highland Park parade shooter a question Monday during his trial at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan.
AP
The Highland Park parade shooter signed his trial waiver “Donald Trump” after pleading guilty, but experts say his plea should stand no matter what name he signed.
“He can sign Mickey Mouse or Donald Trump,” said Richard Kling, a law professor at Kent College of Law.
What matters, Kling said, is that there is a transcript of Robert Crimo III orally pleading guilty, which he did Monday.
“If (the judge) asked the magic questions, and he gave the magic answers, the plea is guilty,” Kling said.
However, the erroneously signed document could open the window for defense attorneys to later argue the plea was not voluntary, he said.
“He can try that track — a move to vacate his plea for any reason. Then the question is if (the judge) will have a hearing,” Kling said.
The document was posted Tuesday to the Lake County Court Clerk’s website, one day after the shooter pleaded guilty in court to all 69 combined counts of murder and attempted murder.
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