Robert Crimo's father talked to son about mass shootings night before Illinois massacre

The father of the alleged gunman in the Illinois shooting that killed seven people and injured more than 30 others told the New York Post on Wednesday that his son talked about the massacre in Denmark the night before allegedly carrying out his own killing spree.

Robert Crimo Jr, who went to one of R. Kelly's lawyers to deny allegations that he helped his son Robert "Bobby" Crimo III buy guns, claimed the two talked about the 22-year-old Dane who killed three people and wounded four others Sunday at Field's mall in Copenhagen.

"He told me, 'Yeah, that guy's an idiot.' That's what he said!" the father recalled. 

"People like that... [they commit mass shootings] to give encouragement to people who want to ban all guns," Crimo Jr. continued about his son's words.

The father claimed to be in shock after learning that his son had been arrested in connection with the Highland Park massacre. "I talked to him 13 hours before—did he have a psychiatric breakdown or something?" he said.

On Tuesday, Steven Greenberg, who had represented superstar R. Kelley in the federal sex trafficking case, confirmed that Crimo Jr. and his ex-wife Denise had hired him after their son's arrest.

The father, a former local mayoral candidate, has faced a string of criticism for allegedly sponsoring his son's gun license application, which allowed Crimo Jr. III to purchase four guns, including the AR-15 used in Monday's attack.

Police confiscated a dagger and 15 knives from the Crimo home, which were allegedly collectibles. "You know, I used to collect coins and baseball postcards," the father stated.

"They put me on like I set it up to do all this," he continued. "I've been here my whole life and I'm going to stay here, with my head held high, because I've done nothing wrong."

Crimo Jr. said he and Denise are "devastated" by the terrible tragedy. While he also indicated that he supports his son and will continue to attend his hearings, he is "upset" by what happened. 

"I want a long sentence," Crimo said of his 21-year-old son.

"That's life. There are consequences for actions and he made a choice. He didn't have to do that. I think there's a mental illness there and obviously I didn't realize that," he added. "It's surreal. Now, I've lost a son. It's horrible."