[ad_1]
Milwaukee (United States), Nov. 17 (AP) – A judge on Wednesday sentenced a man to life in prison for driving his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing six people, injuring others and No chance of release. He and his family believe mental illness drove him to do it.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow sentenced Darrell Brooks Jr, 40, to 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree manslaughter and 61 counts of reckless endangerment.
Each homicide carries a life sentence, and the only uncertainty Wednesday was whether Doro will allow Brooks to serve his sentence under long-term community supervision, the state’s current version of parole. she didn’t. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.
The gallery applauded when Doro announced the life sentence. Moments later, she sentenced him to 762 years in prison for endangerment.
“Frankly, Mr. Brooks, no one is safe with you,” Doro said. “This community is only safe if you spend the rest of your life behind bars … when you drive through the seven blocks or so of a Christmas parade, you leave a path of destruction, chaos, death, injury and panic.”
Dorow had the marshals move Brooks to another courtroom where he could participate via video after Brooks became disruptive in his pre-sentencing remarks. Dressed in prison uniform and handcuffed, he stood motionless as the judge pronounced his sentence.
Brooks’ victim demanded at Tuesday’s hearing that Doro give him the harshest sentence possible. Chris Owens’ mother, who was also among those killed, told Brooks: “I just ask that you rot, and that you rot slowly.”
On November 21, 2021, after an argument with his ex-girlfriend, Brooks drove his red Ford Escape through a parade in downtown Waukesha. Six people were killed, including eight-year-old Jackson Sparks, who was marching with his baseball team, and three members of a group called “Dancing Granny.” Dozens more were injured.
On Wednesday, before the judge delivered his sentence, Brooks told the court that he had been mentally ill since childhood and did not intend to drive into the parade route. He also apologized for the first time to dozens of people who were injured or lost loved ones in the incident.
Brooks, who represented himself at the trial, told Doro in a two-hour rambling that he grew up in a rat- and bug-infested apartment complex, fatherless, poor and hungry. Brooks said he has dealt with mental health issues for as long as he can remember and that he has been physically abused, but he did not specify by whom. He said that sometimes he would take medication and spend a short stay in a mental health facility, and then life would be better.
“Like I said, people will believe what they want, and that’s okay. To be clear: What happened on November 21, 2021 was not, no, not an attack. It was not planned, orchestrated,” Brooks said. said, later adding: “It wasn’t an intentional act. No matter how many times you say it over and over, it’s not.”
Brooks also apologized for the first time to the victim and her family.
“I want you to know that not only am I sorry for what happened, but I’m sorry you couldn’t see what was really on my mind,” he said. “You can’t see my remorse.”
But Brooks didn’t explain his motivations, or offer any other insight into what he had in mind when turning the SUV into a parade. When Doro asked what he thought the sentence should be, he didn’t answer directly but said: “I just want to get help.”
Brooks’ mother and grandmother try to convince Doro to place Brooks in a mental institution instead of prison. Brooks has suffered from bipolar disorder since he was 12, an illness that led him to drive in parades, said his grandmother, Mary Edwards. His mother, Dawn Woods, urged Doro to ensure Brooks received treatment in prison.
“If they have to stay away from society for the rest of their lives, at least they’re getting the help they need for their mental health,” Woods said.
Brooks appeared to be crying when his mother spoke.
Doro said before sentencing that she did not believe Brooks was mentally ill, noting that four psychologists who evaluated him earlier this year found he had antisocial personality disorder but was not mentally ill.
“In my opinion, mental health issues did not cause him to do what he did on November 21, 2021, and, frankly, did not play any role,” the judge said on Wednesday. “It’s clear to me that he understands the difference between right and wrong and he just chooses to ignore his conscience. He’s fueled by anger and rage.”
Dorow spent much of Tuesday listening to dozens of victims demanding that Brooks get as much prison time as possible. They described the frantic search for their children in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the pain their children endured as they struggled to recover from their injuries, and the void they felt as they coped with the loss of a deceased loved one.
On Tuesday, District Attorney Susan Opper asked Doro to string the sentence so “it was as if he was stacking victims while driving down the road” with no chance of release under prolonged supervision.
Brooks chose to represent himself during the month-long trial, which was interrupted at times by his erratic outbursts. He refused to answer his name, frequently interrupted Doro, and often refused to stop talking. The judge repeatedly asked the marshals to move Brooks to another courtroom where he could participate by video, but she could mute his microphone when he became disruptive, as she did Wednesday. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link