Waukesha Christmas Parade Murder Suspect, Darrell Brooks, Found Guilty of First-Degree Intentional Homicide

The suspect in the Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre, 40-year-old Darrell Brooks, was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide after his actions resulted in the death of six people.

The defendant was accused of plowing a Ford Escape SUV through a Christmas parade in nearby Waukesha last year, causing several deaths and dozens of injuries. Brooks made several objections to his case over "subject matter jurisdiction" before the jury returned to deliver their verdict.

Waukesha Christmas Parade

Judge Jennifer Dorow, who is in charge of the case, invited the jurors back, and Brooks made a series of requests for documents, with Dorow saying they were noted and denied. The verdict came on Wednesday after a 23-day trial that saw Brooks, who represented himself in court, ejected from the courtroom multiple times for disruptive behavior.

The suspect attacked the credibility of witnesses on the stand, raised frivolous objections, and at one point went on a rant for 50 minutes asserting that the court had a conflict of interest. He argued that he had not been able to "face his accuser," as per Fox News.

The people who went to the Christmas parade and died on Nov. 21, 2021, were identified as eight-year-old Jackson Sparks, 52-year-old Tamara Durand, 52-year-old Jane Kulich, 71-year-old LeAnna Owen, 79-year-old Virginia Sorenson, and 81-year-old Wilhelm Hospel.

During the trial, someone from the gallery shouted, "Burn in hell you piece of s**t" before Dorow got to the jury's decision on the third murder charge. The judge then ordered the individual who shouted out of the room.

According to CNN, Brooks is now facing a mandatory life sentence in prison for the convictions of murder. The suspect was also convicted of 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, six counts of fatal hit and run, two counts of felony bail jumping, and one count of misdemeanor domestic battery.

Darell Brooks Guilty of First-Degree Intentional Homicide

Less than two weeks prior to the incident last year, Brooks was released from jail on a $1,000 bail that prosecutors later acknowledged was "inappropriately low." In that case, the suspect allegedly ran over a woman who said that she was the mother of his child, court documents revealed.

On Tuesday, prosecutors said in closing arguments that Brooks intentionally drove his vehicle through the crowd in Waukesha at significant speeds and hit 68 individual parade-goers, turning a joyous occasion into a horrific tragedy.

Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said that the suspect reached speeds of approximately 30 miles per hour and argued that it was intentional. Brooks, in his own closing arguments, attempted to raise questions about the car and about his intent.

The suspect repeatedly said that there had been misconceptions and lies told about him during the trial. Brooks said that he had never before heard of someone intentionally trying to hurt someone while blaring their horn to let them know of their presence.

A relative of Sorenson, who was a member of the Dancing Grannies that were killed, put a small container of the victim's ashes on the bar separating the gallery from the rest of the courtroom as the judge read the verdict, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.