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Darrell Brooks, accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more by driving his SUV into a crowd of Christmas parade attendees in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last November, was found guilty of six counts of first-degree intentional homicide on Wednesday, October 27.
A 12-member 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.
In the 21-day-trial, prosecutors argued that Darrell Brooks intentionally rammed his SUV into the crowd, wounding over sixty people, including over a dozen kids. While Brooks, who chose to represent himself in the trial, argued that it was an accident, the prosecutors tore into his defense, stating that the suspect plowed through the crowd without stopping even after he hit and killed his first victim.
Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said:
“He reached speeds of approximately 30 mph. That’s intentional. He plowed through 68 different people. 68. How can you hit one and keep going? How can you hit two and keep going?”
Brooks, who was reportedly combative during the trial, appeared somber as he silently looked down and put his head in his hands when Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow read the verdicts.
Darrell Brooks was on bail when he rammed into the Christmas crowd
Darrell Brooks was reportedly released on $1000 for domestic violence two weeks before he deliberately drove his sports utility vehicle through police barricades on November 21, 2021.
The incident claimed the life of Jackson Sparks (8), Tamara Durand (52), Jane Kulich (52), LeAnna Owen (71), Virginia Sorenson (79), and Wilhelm Gospel (81). Some of the casualties from the incident were members of a “Dancing Grannies” group.
Brooks was taken into custody and has remained in prison. The 40-year-old had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, the insanity defense was withdrawn in September 2022 by his public defender, who quit shortly after withdrawing the motion.
Brooks then chose to represent himself in a trial that was reportedly ensconced with constant disruption laced with belligerent arguments and combative behavior exhibited by the defendant.
According to multiple reports, Brooks often disrupted court proceedings with non-sequiturs and vague questions while the prosecution argued the case. Brooks also made several inane objections and called for a mistrial, which the judge denied.
Throughout the trial, Brooks continued to disrespect the court proceedings, which prompted the judge to remove him from the court on several occasions and place him in a different room where Brooks watched the proceedings without further disruptions.
Darrell Brooks had a history of convictions
According to Fox News, Darrell Brooks - a registered s** offender in Nevada - has a slew of convictions that date back to 1999. For over two decades, the serial offender was involved in a myriad of crimes that involved domestic violence, child crimes, and drugs.
Two weeks before he plowed through the crowd in the Christmas parade, he was arrested for running over his child’s mother in a domestic dispute.
Darell Brooks’s sentencing date is yet to be disclosed by the court.
