Waukesha Christmas Parade Suspect Found Guilty of Homicide
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Darrell Brooks, who drove an SUV into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin in November 2021, was found guilty of all 76 charges on Wednesday — including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Key Quotes: Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper argued that Brooks’ actions were intentional, saying, “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?” Brooks represented himself in court and frequently clashed with Judge Jennifer Dorow, who often had him participate virtually so his outbursts could be muted. As Dorow read the jury’s verdict, she paused to order the removal of a person who shouted, “Burn in hell you piece of s---,” from the courtroom gallery.
For Context: Each of Brooks’ homicide convictions carries a mandatory life sentence in Wisconsin. Brooks has a pre-existing criminal history, and he was released on $1,000 bail just two weeks before the parade killings in a domestic abuse case. Shortly after the incident, some on the right accused CNN (Left bias) and The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) of media bias for attributing the deaths to “a car” rather than the man driving it.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was widespread and mostly balanced across the spectrum on Wednesday. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Center bias) called the incident a “devastating attack on a hallowed city tradition.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Darrell Brooks convicted of killing 6 with SUV in Waukesha Christmas paradeA Wisconsin man accused of fatally plowing his SUV through a crowd at the Waukesha Christmas parade was found guilty Wednesday, capping off a bizarre three-week trial filled with courtroom outbursts and strange behavior.
Darrell Brooks, 40 — who represented himself in the case — faces life behind bars after a jury convicted him on six counts of intentional homicide in a 2021 rampage that left six people dead and more than 60 injured.
Each homicide count carried a mandatory life sentence.
From the Left
Man who drove SUV into Waukesha Christmas parade found guilty of intentional homicideDarrell Brooks was found guilty of six counts of first-degree intentional homicide on Wednesday for driving his SUV into a crowd of Christmas parade attendees in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last November, killing six people and wounding dozens more.
He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for the convictions.
Brooks, 40, also was 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 – a clean sweep...
From the Center
Darrell Brooks found guilty in Waukesha Christmas Parade attacks, ending weekslong trialAlmost a year after a devastating attack on a hallowed city tradition, a jury convicted Darrell Brooks Jr. of killing six people and injuring dozens of others by driving through the 2021 Christmas parade.
After being sequestered Tuesday night after about 90 minutes of deliberations, the jury announced it had verdicts early Wednesday. Judge Jennifer Dorow began reading them shortly before 11 a.m., beginning with the first-degree intentional homicide counts. It took her about 25 minutes to read the guilty verdicts on all 76 charges.
Outside of the courtroom, people wearing...
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