Wisconsin Man Darrell Brooks Convicted Of Killing 6 With SUV In Christmas Parade

40-year-old Darrell Brooks from Wisconsin who has been accused of fatally plowing his SUV through a crowd at the Waukesha Christmas parade was found guilty Wednesday, Oct. 26, said reports.

The accused who represented himself in the case is now facing life in prison 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. Brooks had initially pleaded not guilty but then withdrew the plea in September, setting the stage for a trial.

After receiving hours of instructions from the judge the jury deliberated a little more than three hours before reaching a verdict, on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

In his closing argument, a tearful Brooks claimed that the incident wasn’t intentional.

Waukesha District Attorney Susan Opper said “Just stop driving. That’s it. It’s really that simple. Not one person had to be hurt that day if he would have just stopped driving,” during closing arguments.

Before the incident, Brooks allegedly had a fight with his girlfriend on Nov. 21, 2021.

Testimony showed officers yelled at the driver to stop as Brooks rammed multiple people.

Brooks had been arrested five days before the parade for punching the mother of his child and running her over with a car at a gas station, but he was released on bail.

He was ultimately charged with 76 counts related to the rampage.

Judge Jennifer Dorow struggled to keep order during the course of the trial, often booting Brooks from the proceedings and restricting him to another courtroom, where he watched and participated virtually. Brooks rambled and clashed with the judge, declaring himself a sovereign citizen and questioning the court’s jurisdiction.

Judge and prosecutors called the antics a delaying tactic after psychologists had found Brooks capable to stand trial. He later tearfully apologized.

Brooks had argued the SUV had a mechanical malfunction which contradicted state police testimony in the trial that said the Ford showed no signs of problems with its brakes or anything else.

“Throughout this year I’ve been called a lot of things,” Brooks said. “And to be fair, I am a lot of things. A murderer is not one of them,” he added.