INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Wisconsin man was convicted Wednesday of killing six people and injuring dozens of others when he drove his SUV through a Christmas
parade, wrapping up a trial in which he defended himself with bizarre legal theories and erratic outbursts.It took the jury a little over
three hours to find Darrell Brooks guilty of all 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide
He faces a mandatory life sentence on each homicide count.Brooks, dressed in a suit and tie, silently rested his head on folded hands as the
His subdued demeanor was a stark departure from previous days of the trial, when his sometimes-outrageous behavior drew rebukes from the
judge.Brooks drove his Ford Escape into the Christmas parade in Waukesha in suburban Milwaukee on Nov
21 moments after fleeing a domestic disturbance with his ex-girlfriend, prosecutors said.Six people were killed, including 8-year-old
Jackson Sparks, who was marching in the parade with his baseball team, and three members of the Dancing Grannies, a group of grandmothers
Scores of others were hurt, some severely.The incident deeply scarred the community of 70,000 people about 16 miles (25 kilometers) west of
Community members built memorials to the dead and held vigils
Vehicles passing the courthouse honked their horns in celebration, WITI-TV reported.Judge Jennifer Dorow scheduled a hearing for Monday to
Victims and their families are expected to make statements then.Brooks pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease earlier this year but
withdrew the plea before his trial began with no explanation.Days before the trial started, he dismissed his public defenders, electing to
represent himself despite overwhelming evidence against him
Police officers and paradegoers testified they saw Brooks behind the wheel of the SUV
At one point he glared at Dorow so intensely she had to take a recess because she said she was scared of him.Multiple times, she moved him
into another courtroom where he could watch the proceedings via video and she could mute his microphone when he became disruptive.One day,
after he was moved to the other room, he stripped off his shirt and sat bare-chested on his table with his back to the camera
On another day, he built a barricade out of his boxes of legal documents and hid behind it
On yet another, he held up a Bible so no one could see his face on camera and tossed his copy of the jury instructions into the
intended kill people.Dorow allowed Brooks back into the main courtroom to deliver his closing to jurors face to face
rebuttal that a Wisconsin State Patrol vehicle inspector testified earlier that the SUV was in good working order
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
