A verdict has been reached for Darrell Brooks. On Wednesday, the 40-year-old was found guilty of killing six people and injuring dozens of others during a Christmas parade attack.
Last year, on November 21, Brooks drove a red SUV through a crowd of people at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Prosecutors claimed the incident erupted in an instance of rage following an argument with his ex-girlfriend. After the domestic dispute, officials said Brooks plowed through the parade, killing an 8-year-old boy and several members of the “Dancing Grannies” group. He also reportedly hit 68 parade attendees.
The trial began on October 3 and ran for over three weeks, with Brooks representing himself. He faced a total of 76 charges, including six counts of intentional first-degree homicide, as prosecutors unpacked his criminal history and events that led up to the attack. According to court documents, just three weeks before the fatal incident, Brooks had just been released from jail after being involved in yet another domestic abuse situation. Reports claimed Brooks allegedly ran over a woman who told him that she was the mother of his child.
Witnesses, including Brooks’ ex-girlfriend, took the stand to share their experience of the deadly incident, while prosecutors argued that none of it would have happened if he had just stopped driving.
“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? How can you hit two and keep going?” Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said, CNN reports. “His intent I do have to prove, and I submit without any doubt there’s overwhelming evidence that this was an intentional act by Darrell Brooks and an act of utter disregard for human life.”
In his own defense, Brooks stood behind his claims that the incident wasn’t intentional. “I’ve never heard of someone trying to intentionally hurt someone while attempting to blow their horn while attempting to alert people of their presence,” said Brooks.
On Tuesday night, a jury began deliberating, a process that took the group three hours and 15 minutes, and by Wednesday afternoon, the guilty verdict was delivered.
Brooks now faces life in prison.
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