Defending himself in court is Darrell Brooks, who is accused of shooting and murdering six people and injuring more than 60 others during the Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade last year.
The judge reportedly added, “This man is right now having a stare-down with me,” according to USA Today, after Brooks reportedly slammed his fist on the table and apparently fixed her with a stern look on Friday. It’s quite impolite. His fist was beaten. I’ll be honest—it frightens me. As his own attorney, Brooks has been “in a trial riddled with his frequent disruptions and rants.”
There are 76 charges against Brooks. Brooks is accused of intentionally driving an SUV through crowds during the 2021 parade, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. He is charged with six counts of first-degree intentional death. Prosecutors have questioned more than 30 witnesses after the state presented video footage that purportedly showed Brooks driving through the protesters.
The six people who passed away, according to Fox 6, were Wilhelm Hospel, 81; LeAnna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; and Jackson Sparks, 8 years old.
Julius Kim, a criminal defence lawyer, told CBS 58 that Brooks appeared to be relying on a lack of intent defence and setting himself for reduced charges.
According to Fox 6, Brooks rested his defence by default on Monday because he repeatedly interrupted the court and gave up his ability to testify in his own defence and be subjected to the prosecution’s cross-examination. He had claimed that there was a Ford Explorer class action lawsuit. Brooks responded, “maybe tomorrow,” when the court asked whether he planned to call more witnesses.
First-degree intentional homicide is a Class A felony in the state of Wisconsin. The prosecution must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant both contributed to the victim’s death and had malicious intent when doing so. According to Eisenberg Law, a life sentence is automatically imposed for this offence.
Six people were killed by an SUV driven by Darrell Brooks during a US Christmas parade.
Following a trial in which he defended himself with odd legal theories and emotional outbursts, a man who drove an SUV through a Christmas parade in the US and killed six people and injured dozens of others has been found guilty.
The Wisconsin man Darrell Brooks was found guilty on all 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, on Wednesday after the jury deliberated for just over three hours. Each count of homicide carries a mandatory life sentence.
On November 21 of the previous year, Brooks entered the Waukesha Christmas parade from his Ford Escape in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha.
According to the prosecution, the attack happened shortly after he and his ex-girlfriend left a domestic altercation. An eight-year-old kid, three “Dancing Grannies” (grandmothers who perform in parades), the husband of one of the surviving Dancing Grannies, and a 52-year-old lady were all killed.
Brooks sat motionless with his hands folded while the judgments were announced. His calm demeanour was a sharp contrast to earlier trial days when the court had chastised him for his occasionally provocative behaviour.
A hearing to decide the sentence date was scheduled by Judge Jennifer Dorow for Monday. Then, remarks from the victims’ families are anticipated.
The judge referred to Brooks’s unpredictable behaviour as offensive.
Prior to the start of his trial, Brooks retracted his earlier this year, when he had pleaded not guilty for reason of a mental illness. He decided to represent himself even though there was strong evidence against him just days before the trial began.
Multiple images of Brooks operating the car were shown to the jury by district attorney Susan Opper. Brooks’ primary justification seemed to be that he was a sovereign citizen, echoing a conspiracy theory that holds that everyone is a nation-state and is not subject to governmental constraints.
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