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WAUKESHA, Wis. – The driver of an SUV who plowed through a Milwaukee area Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring dozens of others, was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday.
Darrell Brooks Jr. was found guilty late last month on dozens of criminal charges after a jury found him responsible in the 2021 Christmas parade attack in Waukesha. The sentence, handed down by Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow, came one day after victims and family members of the dead described the impacts of Brooks’ rampage. More than 40 victims and family members took to the stand or submitted written statements, almost all directly addressing Brooks angrily and bluntly.
Before his sentence, Brooks offered a rambling, two-hour statement, explaining he was sorry for what happened and had repented to God.
“It’s not easy being in the most hated man on this planet,” he told the court, adding later, “I’m a human being, not a monster.”
His sentence capped off a long legal process that was replete with dramatic disruptions and delays from Brooks, who decided just days before the proceedings started that he would represent himself. The disruptions, including one that left the judge “scared,” caused Brooks to frequently be booted from the courtroom and instead appear virtually — something that happened Wednesday during his sentencing.
Brooks, 40, of Milwaukee was convicted on Oct. 26 on all 76 criminal charges he faced in the parade attack trial: six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety, six counts of hit-and-run causing death, two counts of bail jumping and one misdemeanor count of battery.
Dorow sentenced Brooks to six consecutive life sentences in the homicide charges and a total of 762 years on the endangerment counts.
‘I saw pure unrepentant evil’: Waukesha parade attack victims share lasting pain at sentencing hearing
MORE:Darrell Brooks found guilty of killing 6 with SUV in Wisconsin Christmas parade
Brooks says he ‘repented,’ asked God for forgiveness in Waukesha parade attack
Brooks spoke softly and slowly as he addressed the court before his sentencing.
In a rambling nearly two-hour statement, his focus at first remained on victims’ comments from Tuesday, including things “I have struggled with myself.”
Reaffirming his Christian beliefs, and occasionally quoting from the Bible, he said he wanted to clarify what he meant in closing statements when he said his “conscience was clear.” He wanted people to know he was repentant.
“I made a decision to rededicate myself to Christ when this tragedy happened,” Brooks said. “I have repented, that I have asked God for forgiveness.”
Brooks also said he wasn’t trying to “hide” the person he is and from what happened.
“I want everyone to know, including the community of Waukesha, not only am I sorry for what happened, but that you could not see what was truly in my heart …. and all the tears that I dropped,” he said.
MORE ON THE CASE:Jury begins deliberations in Wisconsin Christmas parade attack; Darrell Brooks faces life in prison
But, he added: “It’s not me who can take any pain away, replace what is lost and bring back joy. I think all that comes with belief in Christ, and all that comes with time. It’s a process that we all have to go through.”
His frustration in not being able to defend himself caused him to act out in court, Brooks said, adding that he has struggled throughout his life with various issues, including physical abuse “by the people that are supposed to love you,” and “trying to understand why your mind works like the way it does.”
Flashes of his anger, seen often during the trial and in hearings immediately preceding it, returned as he raised his voice to say the parade incident “was not, not, not and attack. … This was not an intentional act.”
Addressing prosecutors, particularly Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper, Brooks said he wanted to take the “high road” while expressing his frustrations about some of their statements. “It’s not easy being in the most hated man on this planet,” he said, adding later, “I’m a human being, not a monster.”
More:Judge in Wisconsin deadly parade trial says she was ‘scared’ by Darrell Brooks’ actions in court
Dorow twice asked Brooks after long intervals if he wished to comment on his sentencing following his conviction.
Pressed for an answer, Brooks said he wanted to be sentenced somewhere he could be medicated to remove the “pain” he continues to struggle with mentally, and “to not be put in a place to just be forgotten about.”
Brooks family says he suffers from mental illness, should be treated
Prior to sentencing, several relatives and friends, including Brooks’ mother Dawn Woods, spoke on his behalf.
Speaking remotely via Zoom, Woods called her son “broken” but said he wasn’t uncaring, despite his courtroom actions and the charges he faced.
“Mental illness affects everyone. It destroys lives and affects family,” Woods said. “It is of no fault of their own that they are ill, and began to change as a person.”
She acknowledged that people who act maliciously out of mental illness should be held accountable, but through medication, therapy and special institutions. Woods said people need to show empathy and compassion in that regard.
“I have been dealing with mental illness for some 30-odd years now, and here’s my take on it,” Woods said. “Jail is not the answer.”
Mary Edwards, Brooks’ grandmother, said she asked to speak for two reasons: to apologize to those hurt by Brooks’ actions in the parade, particularly the family of Jackson Sparks, and to ask for forgiveness.
“Darrell has lost his mind and his life in the outside world,” Edwards said. She explained Brooks has suffered from bipolar disorder for many years.
Michele Alworth, a friend who remembered better times with Brooks, said she suffers from medical problems and Brooks assisted her, including in emergency situations.
Alworth said she hopes “he gets the help he needs for his mental illness” in a qualified institution.
Contact Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com or follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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