The second day of the trial for the man accused of ramming his automobile through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, began with the defendant reading from the Bible and finished with him being escorted out of the courtroom once again.
77 charges, including six counts of murder, are brought against Darrell Brooks, 40, for allegedly driving into a parade on November 21, 2021.
Six people died and many were killed in the tragedy.
Judge Jennifer Dorow dismissed the guy from court on Monday after he continually interrupted her with shenanigans regarding his own identity and her credentials.
The conversations I had with Dorow and Brooks on Tuesday were all too familiar.
The accused had stopped Dorow “no fewer than half a dozen times” only seconds after the hearing had begun, “asking the judge what her name is” and “refusing to identify his own identity,” according to The Waukesha Freeman.
Many prospective jurors were disqualified after explaining to the court that they could have financial difficulties due to a four-week trial, while others claimed that their caregiving obligations would prevent them from serving.
Additionally, Brooks requested the release of the full jury, but this request was turned down because Brooks “failed to demonstrate a foundation to do so in law or fact.”
Brooks was taken from the main courtroom shortly after 9 a.m. and remanded to a different chamber, where he was joined to the proceedings through Zoom.
Dorow responded, “He’s interrupting, take him to the next courtroom.”
When Brooks called in remotely, he took off his mask, read from the Bible, and seemed to shout at Dorow.
Dorow addressed him over Zoom at one point, saying, “Mr. Brooks, we need to go on, please stop.”
I won’t,” the guy said in answer.
The judge silenced him because he was becoming too loud.
He looks to be ranting while standing and looking the other way. He was subdued, the judge said.
Brooks claimed to be “sovereign” throughout the hearings on Tuesday, but he objected when Dorow referred to him as a “sovereign citizen.”
Let’s amend the record right now, Brooks replied, claiming to be sovereign.
Dorow replies, “All right, you think you’re sovereign.”
Dorow’s choice to allow the defendant to represent himself in court may have contributed to some of the problems encountered there.
Following a first day in court when Brooks used similar disruptive tactics, the second day in court was rough and is still just a portion of the jury selection process.
Dorow called many pauses within the first hour of the trial because to Brooks’ antics.
Potential jurors were brought in by Dorow many times, but they were never able to stay for very long because of the defendant’s interruptions.
Sue Opper, the district attorney for Waukesha County, reportedly requested that Dorow “examine a U.S. Supreme Court judgment regarding the gagging of defendants in court” at about 12 o’clock.
Immediately after that, according to the Waukesha Freeman, Brooks was told to watch the proceedings from a nearby courtroom.
Milwaukee resident Brooks was detained after being apprehended close to the attack’s location on November 21.
According to the prosecution, Brooks purposefully plowed his automobile over police barriers and into the spectators watching the annual parade in Waukesha, which is located about 15 miles west of downtown Milwaukee.
After reportedly approaching a lady outside of a hotel before the procession, Brooks charged into the throng.
According to law enforcement sources, the accused went back and ran over that lady as well as punching her in the face.
The victims’ ages varied from 8 to 81, and more than 60 other individuals were hurt, at least 18 of them were children.
If found guilty of the most severe allegations, Brooks, who was out on bail from a domestic violence charge at the time of the incident, could spend the rest of his life in jail.
The individual has a long criminal history that began with his first arrest in 1999 for aggravated violence and carrying a concealed weapon.
He has had at least 15 further run-ins with the authorities since then.
Multiple accusations of impeding an officer, drug possession, paternity warrants, failing to appear in court, and other offenses have been brought against Brooks.
In 2010, he was accused of domestic violence, strangling, and suffocation, among other violent offenses.
Although Dorow has cautioned Brooks that the court would not accept willful acts of obstruction, the Journal Sentinel stated that Brooks’ choice to defend himself may cause the trial to go longer than expected.
However, this trial’s flaws weren’t known when they came up in court on Monday.
In an appearance on August 26, Brooks repeatedly dozed off before ranting at Dorow, according to WISN.
She was standing with her arms crossed when he replied, “You sit up here and pretend like you know me.”
People like you have no idea where I came from, the speaker said.
Additionally, Brooks was overheard complaining that the proceedings were “boring” and yelling at the sheriff’s officers who were escorting him out the courtroom on the orders of Judge Dorow.
The accused proceeded to abuse the court verbally while labeling the case as “political.”
Brooks once expressed to Dorow his desire to leave the situation and go back to his cell.
In February, Brooks entered a not-guilty plea.
His lawyers, public defenders Anna Kees and Jeremy Perri, submitted a request in April asking to delay the case at least until March 2023.
In their application, the lawyers said they needed at least six months to evaluate more than 300 films of the procession, analyze the SUV’s speed during the event, examine Brooks’ police interview, and contact relevant expert witnesses.
Susan Opper, the district attorney, encouraged the court to keep to the plan.
She claimed that practically all of the evidence had been given to the defense by the prosecution.
The last components were the results of DNA testing performed on SUV sample collected from Brooks.
Opper said, “The relatives of the victims who are still alive deserve closure as quickly as possible.
Brooks asked to change his plea to not guilty due to a mental illness or defect at a hearing in June.