Man Found Guilty of Homicide After Driving SUV Through Christmas Parade and Killing 6, Faces Life in Prison

Wisconsin man Darrell Brooks Jr. has been found guilty on six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, NPR reports. Brooks was found guilty by the jury for killing six people and injuring 62 others when he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha last year. He is facing a mandatory life sentence on each of the six counts.

Earlier this year, Brooks pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease, but decided to withdraw his plea ahead of the trial without explanation. He also dismissed his public defenders, and represented himself.

In total, Brooks was found guilty of 76 criminal charges, which also included 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety, six counts of hit-and-run causing death, two counts of bail jumping, and one count of misdemeanor battery. The verdict was reached after approximately three hours of deliberations. He initially faced 83 charges, but Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow struck seven of the counts ahead of the trial.

When he delivered his closing statements on Tuesday, Brooks did not identify himself as the driver behind the SUV but he did indirectly question how “this” happened. “Throughout this year I’ve been called a lot of things,” Brooks said, per the Associated Press. “And to be fair I am a lot of things. A murderer is not one of them.” Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper, in her closing statements, questioned why Brooks deliberately drove his car through the crowd and didn’t stop.

Brooks drove his SUV through the annual Christmas parade on November 21, 2021. Police at the time reported that he deliberately targeted the crowd, and drove in a “zig-zag pattern” in an effort to hit more people.