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A video showing Darrell Brooks, the Waukesha parade killer, rolling his eyes in court during the victim impact statements has sparked outrage online.
On Tuesday, November 15, as grief-stricken families of victims expressed their anguish, Darrell Brooks, seemingly bored, rolled his eyes during his sentencing hearing. Last month, a jury convicted the 40-year-old Wisconsin man of over 70 counts, including six counts of intentional homicide, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Brooks' behavior during the hearing infuriated people on social media, with some praising the victim's families for their courage when confronted with blatant disrespect during the hearing.
Brooks was convicted last month for driving his red Ford Escape through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more.
Darrell Brooks interrupts families during victim impact statements
On Tuesday, Darrell Brooks, who represented himself throughout the trial, spoke over the victims' families, deliberately interrupting their statements after the judge had allowed them to address the assailant directly during his sentencing.
At one point, Brooks rolled his index finger in a circular motion in a “move it along” gesture. The families asked the judge to consider the maximum punishment.
One Twitter user pointed out the rude gesture.
Netizens were appalled at Brooks' behavior and expressed their exasperation on social media:
Darrell Brooks, while combative during the course of his conviction trial, treated the victims with respect. However, during his sentencing hearing, Brooks closed his eyes and shook his head while the families detailed the suffering they had endured after the incident.
Sherri Sparks, whose eight-year-old son was struck down and killed by Brooks, described the anguish her family had to endure in the aftermath of the incident. Sparks said her other son suffered from PTSD and several mentally debilitating issues, stemming from the day he lost his brother.
The statement read:
“I want to give a voice to our son Jackson Sparks, our family is forever changed. We are hurt, angry, traumatized, and broke. “November 21, was a day that was supposed to be fun and filled with laughter and smiles and instead, it became a nightmare full of fears, screams and tears.”
Sparks, while recounting every stark detail of the day, from rushing to her sons and finding one of them in dire need of medical attention, said:
“You have no idea how gut-wrenching it is to explain to your 12-year-old son that his little brother is not going to make it.”
Darrell Brooks's sentencing hearing was briefly paused
The sentencing hearing for Darrell Brooks was paused briefly after the courthouse received a threat warning of a potential mass shooting incident directed at the Waukesha courthouse. However, the court resumed hearing the victim's impact statement a short while later after they determined the threat to be innocuous.
Brooks, who said that nine people will make statements on his behalf during his hearing, is expected to be sentenced on Wednesday.
