Waukesha parade killing: Brooks guilty on 6 homicide counts
Steph Whiteside
(NewsNation) — The jury has arrived at a verdict in the trial for the Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade killings. Darrell Brooks, Jr. has been found guilty on all six homicide charges.
Six people died and more than 60 were injured after an SUV was driven into a Christmas parade in Waukesha.
Brooks was charged with six counts of homicide and 61 accounts of reckless endangerment. Each homicide count carries a mandatory life sentence. Each reckless endangerment count carries a maximum sentence of 17 1/2 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Brooks acted with intent when he committed the crime.
Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper focused on Brooks’ intent during her closing arguments as Brooks’ monthlong trial wound down. His failure to stop after hitting the first person in the parade shows he intended to kill people, she said.
Darrell Brooks attempts to get the court’s attention as he appears via video from an adjacent courtroom due to his continuous interruptions of Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow during his trial Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 in Waukesha County Circuit Court in Waukesha, Wis. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into a Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow addresses Darrell Brooks during his trial in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into a Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Darrell Brooks appears via video from an adjacent courtroom due to his continuous interruptions during his trial in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into a Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Waukesha County district attorney Susan Opper holds a sweatshirt that was worn by Darrell Brooks during closing arguments in his trial in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into a Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Darrell Brooks argues with the judge before making his closing arguments in his trial in Waukesha County Circuit Court, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into a Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Brooks initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease but withdrew the plea in September without explanation. Instead, he chose to represent himself.
Brooks’ actions during the trial were erratic. He stripped off his shirt, refused to answer to his name, and argued with the judge. Multiple times, the judge had bailiffs move him to another courtroom where he could watch the proceedings via video but she could mute his microphone when he became disruptive.
During his closing arguments, Brooks tried to argue the SUV had been recalled. When the prosecutor objected, he suggested the driver might have panicked.
He didn’t quite acknowledge he was the driver but said that at night when he’s alone in his cell he often asks questions how “this” happened. But he has never asked himself if “this” was intentional because he knows it wasn’t. He didn’t explain what he was referring to with the word “this.”
