Darrell Brooks was sentenced on Wednesday for the Waukesha Christmas parade assault in WAUKESHA, Wis.
On November 21, 2021, Brooks, aged 40, was found guilty of causing the death of six individuals and causing harm to numerous others, thereby transforming a delightful afternoon into a tragic bloodbath.
Following his SUV’s rampage along the parade route, Judge Jennifer Dorow sentenced Brooks to consecutive life imprisonment terms, with no chance of parole, for the deaths of all six individuals.
WATCH | Judge declares verdict for Darrell Brooks
Each conviction will also result in consecutive sentences on top of the previous one. In addition to the maximum sentence of 12.5 years, an extra five years will be added as an “enhancer” for each charge. She also received 17.5 years for each of the 61 counts of reckless endangerment.
Subsequently, the magistrate granted Brooks six more consecutive terms of 25 years each, for each occurrence of hit-and-run resulting in a death.
Darrell Brooks convicted of murder, further details on Waukesha parade assault.
The judge ruled that those will be successive to the other charges but simultaneous to each other. Brooks was also sentenced to two six-year terms for each felony charge of bail jumping.
He was ultimately sentenced to the maximum term of nine months for assaulting his former girlfriend, Erika Patterson. This sentence will also be served consecutively with his other convictions.
VIEW | Darrell Brooks delivers emotional statement prior to sentencing
As per the court records, in that particular instance, he purportedly drove over a lady who claimed to be the biological parent of his offspring. With a bail amount of $1,000, which the prosecutors suggested and later termed as “inadequately low,” Brooks had been set free from custody less than a fortnight before the assault during the parade, which was related to a case of domestic violence.
On Tuesday, 45 of the individuals affected and individuals who lost their loved ones directly addressed the accused.
The court proceedings were halted on two occasions, once due to a telephone threat and once due to Brooks’ conduct.
The sheriff’s office, FBI, and the Waukesha Police Department are currently conducting an investigation into the threat. The office has heightened security at the courthouse and on the county premises. Lieutenant Nicholas Wenzel of the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office reported that a phone call was made to the Waukesha County Communications Center around 9:40 a.M., Threatening a mass shooting at the courthouse.
Brooks continued to interrupt, mirroring his conduct during the trial, while others whose lives he ruined expressed further condemnations. The hearing reconvened in the afternoon, around 11:15 a.M.
After Brooks raced through the gathering, knocking over individuals as though they were road obstacles, Sherry Sparks desperately looked for her sons, Tucker and Jackson, during the incident. Tucker sustained severe injuries, and unfortunately, Jackson did not survive.
Sparks stated, “He won’t be coming back with us again, and his injuries are too extensive to make it back. It’s not just wrenching to think about, but do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to explain it to his 12-year-old son, your little brother?” “I’m standing in this courtroom, asking for justice for my boys,” I said. “Later today, I should be spending the morning taking him to school and making breakfast. We came so close to losing both of them that day. I miss Jackson every single day, every second. It hurts to live here without him. It feels like my heart is broken and torn apart. I miss Jackson every single day, every second. It hurts to live here without him. It feels like my heart is broken and torn apart.”
Jenny Gonzalez, a survivor of the attack, expressed, “Fear transformed into happiness as Brooks Darrell consistently dealt with these various emotions on a daily basis, alongside me and others. Shame, remorse, fury, sadness, assaults, distress, unease, and recurring bad dreams.”
While the court proceedings were ongoing, he casually browsed through a book and showed no response to anyone who spoke.
ADDITIONALLY | The suspect in the Waukesha parade was escorted out of the courtroom multiple times for continuously disputing with the judge.
Bill Mitchell, a participant in the parade who was hit during the assault, expressed, “The sentiment is reciprocal. Mr. Brooks will ponder over me or any of his targets as the jail cell shuts on this wrongdoer, I am skeptical.”
At a certain moment, Brooks even expressed his annoyance by rolling his eyes.
I hope that as you read my statement, you continue to roll your eyes and show how unmoved and bored you are by all of this, because I think it’s important for the world to see that evil can be a tangible, living, breathing thing.
Chris Owen, the son of a victim, expressed, “I believe it holds significance for the global community to witness the repugnant sight of human decay.”
A young person also spoke at the hearing.
The child expressed, “I was unable to communicate as I was preoccupied with shedding tears when they inquired about the incident. Furthermore, upon arriving at the hospital, I experienced immense fear as I believed I had fractured my fingers. My entire body, specifically my fingers, became immobile due to the overwhelming terror we felt when we had to place our heads on the ground upon hearing that a shooter was en route to the hospital.”
Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.
One speaker expressed, “You are a creature. You merit disdain and demise. Unfortunately, since there is no capital punishment in the state, I can only wish that you are confined to a place so secluded that rats gnaw on your fingers during the night. Until the day I am urinating* (bleep out) on your burial site, this will never conclude for me. It would be justifiable, I believe, to state that even God despises you for your offenses.”
David Sorensen, the spouse of Virginia Sorensen, who was slain in the assault, expressed, “The Bible you place on your table won’t do any good if you don’t turn your life around; prison life is also a form of punishment. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty, and I believe that if someone truly deserves it, they should regret their actions the most.”
The law does not place any restrictions on what can be said during the impact on the victim, as long as people don’t use profanity or scream into lapses, they will be free to say what they want. The remarks must be relevant to the sentence.
Despite overwhelming evidence against him, Brooks chose to represent himself during his month-long trial, where he frequently interrupted and refused to answer his own name when Dorow, the judge, often refused to stop talking and move him to another courtroom where he could participate via video, but his microphone was often muted by the bailiffs.
WATCH: Brooks escorted out of courtroom once more
Later, attorneys filed a motion to allow Brooks to withdraw from the trial and the judge ruled in favor of this request. The public defenders for Brooks had previously pleaded insanity on his behalf, but he did not plead guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors rejected the idea that Brooks is mentally incompetent and said his actions were simply attempts to disrupt proceedings, including defiant acts and interruptions.
The prosecution stated, “his deliberate actions are actually bringing us closer and closer to presenting this case to the jury, as he attempts to derail and avoid the inevitable proceedings.”
Judge Dorow concurred, expressing her belief that “Mr. Brooks’ sole intention is to ridicule this procedure.”
This report was contributed to by The Associated Press and CNN.