Darrell Brooks verdict reached in Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy - FOX 6 Milwaukee

By FOX6 News Digital Team

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The assemblage has reached a verdict successful the Darrell Brooks trial, charged successful the Waukesha Christmas parade attack connected Nov. 21, 2021. The verdict volition beryllium work successful unfastened tribunal astatine 10:45 a.m.

Brooks initially faced 83 charges successful the case. Before trial, successful precocious August, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow sided with the defence and struck Counts 78-83 (six counts of homicide by vehicle, usage of a controlled substance). The justice ruled determination cannot beryllium aggregate punishments for the aforesaid crime.

On Sept. 30, Count 77, misdemeanor battery/domestic abuse, was dismissed by prosecutors.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get regular headlines, breaking quality emails from FOX6 News

The 76 charges Brooks was tried connected included six counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the six radical killed. Heading into the trial, we knew that conscionable 1 homicide condemnation could enactment Brooks down bars for life.

Prosecution's arguments

The authorities began laying retired its case-in-chief Thursday, Oct. 6, moving to beryllium that Darrell Brooks was down the instrumentality of the reddish Ford Escape that drove done the Waukesha Christmas Parade way connected Nov. 21, 2021, sidesplitting six and injuring much than 60. Prosecutors called 57 witnesses implicit 11 days.

Prosecutors tried to person the assemblage that Brooks, successful rage aft a combat with Erika Patterson, his ex, astatine Frame Park, barreled done the parade successful his reddish SUV, hitting radical and not stopping.

Brooks was arrested soon aft the attack. Prosecutors accidental helium showed up astatine a adjacent home, banging connected the door, asking for a ride. The SUV was parked nearby.

Witnesses for the prosecution included instrumentality enforcement and archetypal responders -- immoderate who were astatine the parade arsenic civilians with their families. One constabulary serviceman gave grounds astir however helium fired his work limb astatine the reddish SUV, trying to get it to stop. Other constabulary officers gave grounds astir the velocity of the SUV, 1 saying his velocity investigation allowed him to travel to the decision that the SUV was traveling betwixt 33 and 34 miles per hr successful the 25 mph portion (when there's not a parade going on). A State Patrol mishap reconstructionist said the SUV's "average" velocity connected Main Street past Clinton was 32 miles per hour.

We besides heard from radical associated with Darrell Brooks, including Erika Patterson, his ex-girlfriend, and Patterson's roommate, with whom Brooks was successful the combat astatine Frame Park earlier the Christmas parade attack.

Prosecutors besides called to the basal witnesses who were astatine the parade that day, who identified Darrell Brooks arsenic the driver.

There was affectional grounds from parade participants and attendees who were injured oregon saw their friends killed oregon children wounded by the reddish SUV.

Nicole White was the archetypal idiosyncratic struck by the SUV and the archetypal to beryllium cross-examined by Darrell Brooks, representing himself successful this trial. White testified she was struck from down by the SUV, which rolled implicit her legs. At times, she appeared to beryllium nervously shaking.

From there, the prosecution seemed to spell down the parade route, calling witnesses successful the bid successful which they were impacted.

There was affectional grounds from Jeff Rogers, president of the Waukesha Blazers shot team. He talked astir however helium recovered Jackson Sparks, 8, connected the crushed "motionless" aft the SUV came done their group. He aboriginal saw idiosyncratic giving the lad CPR. Sparks aboriginal died astatine the hospital.

Alyssa Gajewski, manager of the Waukesha Xtreme Dance Team, broke down into tears connected the basal arsenic she watched video of the SUV barreling into her girls. Fifteen members of her radical were hurt. She talked astir however she recovered them aft they were deed and their conditions successful the "overflowing" hospital.

There was grounds astir the decease of Jane Kulich, who was walking with Citizens Bank co-workers. The operator of their interval motortruck said helium "watched the assemblage alert up onto the hood, her assemblage drawback back, and I thought I could person reached retired and grabbed her." He estimated the SUV's velocity astatine astir 30 mph.

Laura Thein gave affectional grounds astir her 4 friends who died successful the parade attack, members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, a radical she described arsenic a "sisterhood." Virginia Sorenson, Bill Hospel, Tamara Durand and Lee Owen were killed. Durand was marching successful her archetypal and past parade, and Thein said she was "so excited" to beryllium a granny. Sorenson was the "glue" of the group, she said. She talked astir however Bill, whose woman is simply a granny, volunteered with the group, carrying crystal chips for them to snack connected during the parades. She said she identified Owen arsenic 1 of the deceased via constabulary photograph aft the attack.

Dr. Amy Sheil, Waukesha County subordinate aesculapian examiner, became choked up connected the basal portion talking astir the autopsy and origin of decease for young Jackson Sparks.

There was besides grounds from constabulary officers and citizens who came into interaction with the reddish SUV aft the attack. Some said they saw the driver, including 1 who said the "beat up" SUV was ditched successful his driveway connected Maple Avenue, and helium saw the operator get retired and tally away. A constabulary serviceman testified the SUV was registered to Dawn Woods, Brooks' mother, and determination was accusation wrong the conveyance with the sanction "Darrell Brooks."

The assemblage besides heard from radical with surveillance video that prosecutors said showed Darrell Brooks earlier and aft the parade incident. This included the antheral who said Brooks showed up connected his beforehand porch, captured by his Ring doorbell camera.

Additionally, the assemblage saw assemblage camera video of Brooks' apprehension and heard audio oregon saw video of his interviews with instrumentality enforcement successful the hours and days aft the Christmas parade attack. 

The assemblage was besides taken retired of the courtroom to spot the reddish SUV successful a unafraid store adjacent the courtroom, and assemblage members heard from instrumentality enforcement progressive successful the hunt and inspection of that vehicle, including DNA analysts. 

Brooks' defence during prosecution's presumption of evidence

During the state's presumption of its case-in-chief, Brooks' defence seemed to beryllium focused connected 3 things: recognition of the driver, intent of the operator and his "sovereign citizen"/subject substance jurisdiction arguments.

On cross-examination, Brooks asked witnesses questions astir their statement of the driver, if they saw the operator and past the intent of the driver. Brooks asked questions specified arsenic whether the witnesser heard a horn honking (which could have, perhaps, been an effort by the operator to pass radical the SUV was coming). He questioned whether the operator of the SUV could person adjacent exited the parade way with each the barricades successful place, marking disconnected the parade route. He questioned however good witnesses could adjacent spot the driver, asking aggregate witnesses if the windows connected the SUV were tinted and however acold distant they were from the vehicle/how accelerated it was going erstwhile it came past them.

Brooks besides called for a dismissal of the case/adjournment with his "sovereign citizen" and taxable substance jurisdiction arguments, going connected a 50-minute rant astatine 1 constituent that progressive the usage of the connection "treason" and his request for the justice to recuse herself, arguing the assemblage was biased against him. 

He questioned aggregate witnesses regarding the "plaintiff" successful this matter, with Brooks arguing that lone a living, breathing quality being tin record a ailment against someone, and the authorities of Wisconsin is an entity. He argued with the justice astir the information that helium "does not place by the sanction Darrell Brooks" and that helium was successful tribunal arsenic a "third-party intervener connected behalf of my client." He argued this tribunal did not person jurisdiction implicit the case. Brooks' "sovereign citizen" and taxable substance jurisdiction arguments were denied each clip by Judge Dorow.

Brooks adjacent claimed helium had COVID successful an effort to hold the proceedings oregon disregard the case. He refused to instrumentality a accelerated trial successful court. When his trial results did travel back, helium was antagonistic for COVID-19. Prosecutors told the justice Brooks was heard successful telephone calls telling his parent helium was going to hold the trial.

During the lead-up to assemblage selection, Brooks often engaged successful shouting matches with Judge Jennifer Dorow.

Things got truthful atrocious that she removed him from the courtroom respective times and placed him successful different country wherever helium could ticker the proceedings via video, but she could mute his microphone if helium became disruptive. One day, helium stripped disconnected his garment and stuck a sign, fixed to him to awesome objections, down his pants.

Brooks was mostly respectful of each witness. He mostly reserved his ire for Dorow.

Brooks calls ain witnesses

Brooks began laying retired his case-in-chief connected Thursday, Oct. 20 aft crying during his deferred opening statement, telling the assemblage helium believed they would marque "the close decision."

Brooks told jurors helium hadn’t rehearsed thing and would talk from the heart. However, helium didn’t laic retired his mentation of what happened, allude to however helium would support himself oregon uncover who would attest connected his behalf.

Brooks took disconnected the look disguise helium had been wearing during the proceedings and wept during his opening statement, telling the jury, "There's 2 sides to each story."

He told the assemblage the parade incidental "was not planned" and "was not intentional."

He said, "When it’s clip for you to marque your decision, each of you, I judge that… you’ll marque the close decision."

Brooks called 12 witnesses implicit 2 days, representing himself successful the case.

Brooks' witnesses included parade participants and attendees, radical who saw the SUV aft the parade incident, a Waukesha constabulary detective and a antheral who was contiguous astatine the alleged combat adjacent Frame Park involving Brooks' ex-girlfriend which prosecutors accidental preceded the Christmas parade incident.

The suspect besides called Erika Patterson, his ex-girlfriend, to the stand. She had antecedently testified for the state.

She was not the lone Brooks' witnesser who was, astatine 1 point, connected the state's witnesser list.

It seemed unclear arsenic to whether Brooks' witnesses helped his defense. Brooks became upset astatine 1 constituent erstwhile helium was calling his ain witnesses due to the fact that the authorities had nary cross-examination. 

FOX6 News spoke with 2 of Brooks' witnesses successful one-on-one interviews extracurricular the courtroom aft their testimony, and each of these witnesses, who were Brooks' ain witnesses, said they believed helium was blameworthy successful this case.

Brooks called 2 witnesses arsenic helium began the presumption of his case-in-chief, and the suspect called 9 the adjacent day.

Brooks seemed particularly agitated during the archetypal afloat time of defence testimony, yelling astatine Judge Dorow aggregate times. At 1 point, helium fixed Dorow with an aggravated look that, she told the court, frightened her truthful overmuch she had to telephone a recess.

During the proceedings that Friday, Judge Dorow noted of the day's events, "To accidental that this has been the astir challenging of my vocation would beryllium an understatement."

Brooks had the accidental to testify, nether oath, successful his ain defense. He forfeited that close connected Monday. 

Closing arguments