#hospel

[truecrimeandtrials]

Trigger and content warnings: infuriating yet amusing incompetence, death, physical abuse, general cringe, repeated disrespect for the judge, prosecution, and others, swear words (fuck, bitch), child death, physical injuries, possible terrorism

Disclaimer: I have done my best to summarize the testimony from the Darrell Brooks trial. I linked a playlist for the trial so you can go watch it if you wish to get all of the information and form your own opinion.

Defendant Darrell (pronounced Duh-rell) Brooks was charged with killing 8-year-old Jackson Sparks, 52-year-old Tamara Durand, 52-year-old Jane Kulich, 71-year-old LeAnna “Lee” Owen, 79-year-old Virginia “Ginny” Sorenson, and 81-year-old Wilhelm Hospel and injuring over sixty other individuals during the Waukesha Christmas Parade in 2021. The incident allegedly followed a domestic dispute. Mr. Brooks decided to represent himself during the trial and claimed sovereign citizenship.

State’s Opening Statement

District Attorneys Sue Opper, Lesli Boese, and Zachary Wittchow represented the State of Wisconsin. Attorney Wittchow gave the opening statement. The Waukesha Christmas parade started off normally on November 21st, 2021. There was joy all along the parade route. However, Darrell Brooks killed that joy and replaced it with trauma and terror. He was fleeing from another crime scene when he decided to drive through the parade. He repeatedly used his red Ford Escape as a battering ram, ultimately killing six people and injuring dozens more. Attorney Wittchow said that him and his colleagues intended to “avoid undue hardships” for the victims. He went through what they expected to present and what witness testimony would be.

Sergeant David Wanner’s Testimony

Sergeant David Wanner has been a patrol sergeant at the Waukesha County Police Department (WCPD) for eighteen years. He was working on the day of the attack and described how the parade was prepared and the route they were supposed to take. His job was to make sure that the other officers were where they were supposed to be and that everything was in order. Sergeant Wanner heard that squads not assigned to the parade were responding to a knife fight. He didn’t hear about any vehicles that were associated with that incident. He then saw a red SUV traveling toward him at “a high rate of speed”. He estimated that the vehicle was going over 40 miles per hour, which is approximately 64 kilometers per hour. The speed limit on the street the parade route was on was 25 miles per hour or approximately 40 kilometers per hour. Sergeant Wanner waved his hands over his head to get the driver’s attention but to no avail. The driver didn’t stop and entered the parade route. He used his radio to notify other officers along the route. He later heard “horrible sounds” and requests for backup.

Kori Runkle’s Testimony

Kori Runkle met Erika Patterson at the Waukesha women’s shelter in October or November of 2021. She couldn’t remember which month. Miss Runkle and Miss Patterson, along with a man named Nick, hung out together at a park on the day of the attack. They later split up. Miss Patterson went to meet up with Darrell Brooks. She had mentioned her ex-boyfriend to Miss Runkle before. She later got a call from Miss Patterson, who said that Mr. Brooks was beating and following her. She and Nick ran to help their friend out. This all happened right before Mr. Brooks ran through the parade.

Erika Patterson’s Testimony

Erika Patterson was Mr. Brooks’ ex-girlfriend and the mother of his fifteen-year-old daughter. The two had met when she was fifteen. Miss Patterson said that she was testifying on her 32nd birthday. She identified the defendant as her ex-boyfriend. She described what she remembered happened on the day of the attack. Mr. Brooks was angry and punched Miss Patterson’s left eye, leaving a black eye. Miss Runkle was mad at her for meeting up with him, but they still returned to the women’s shelter together. She talked to the police after the parade attack.

Detective Steven Guth’s Testimony

Detective Steven Guth has been a detective at WCPD for seven out of his twenty years at the department. He had questioned Miss Patterson about her fight with Mr. Brooks. She showed him where the two of them went. Detective Guth was unaware if Miss Patterson talked to any other officers.

Officer Jeremy Philipps’ Testimony

Officer Jeremy Philipps has been an officer at WCPD for fourteen years. He was not assigned to the parade, so he was on general patrol. He was dispatched to Frame Park at approximately 4:52 p.m. to an alleged knife fight. Officer Philipps looked around the area for potential victims and perpetrators. He was talking to Miss Patterson and her friends when he heard the requests for backup over his radio. He decided that the requests were more serious, so he responded to them. Officer Philipps attempted to render as much aid as he possibly could to those who were hit by Mr. Brooks.

Kyle Edwards’ Testimony

Kyle Edwards attended the Christmas parade with his wife and two kids. They were on their way when they first encountered Mr. Brooks in his red SUV. He later saw the defendant enter the parade route. Mr. Edwards has basic medical training after serving in the military for seventeen years. He made sure his wife and kids were safely on their way home before returning to the route to help. Later that night, he called the non-emergency line to report the possible connection between the SUV that rammed through the parade and the SUV he almost collided with. He was 95 percent sure they were the same vehicle. Mr. Edwards gave his statement to the police several days later.

Holly Berg’s Testimony

Holly Berg attended the Christmas parade on November 21st, 2021. Beforehand, she had dropped her boyfriend’s daughter off at the staging area so she could get ready for the parade. On her way to rejoin her boyfriend, Miss Berg witnessed the same thing that Mr. Edwards did. Later on, at the parade, she saw people “fly” when Mr. Brooks hit them. It clicked in her mind that he was the same man from the gas station incident. Miss Berg’s boyfriend tried to render help to people, but she told him to go find his daughter.

Detective Thomas Casey’s Testimony

Detective Thomas Casey has been a detective at WCPD for twenty-five years. He was assigned to help control traffic during the parade. Eight of the sixty-seven units that took part in the parade were impacted. Detective Casey was 1,000 percent sure that Mr. Brooks was driving the SUV.

Officer Bryce Butryn’s Testimony

Officer Bryce Butryn has been an officer at WCPD for approximately five years. He was assigned to the parade on the day of the tragedy. He heard a driver honk his car horn several times. Officer Butryn tried to stop the vehicle before running after it on foot, trying to stop the vehicle. He never saw the driver pull over and check on the person they hit.

Officer Sonia Schneider’s Testimony

Officer Sonia Schneider has been an officer at WCPD for two years. She was assigned to the parade at the same location as Officer Butryn. Unlike him, she never heard a car horn. She unsuccessfully tried to direct the vehicle off the parade route. Officer Schneider then guarded one of the deceased Dancing Grannies.

Battalion Chief Tim Haakenson’s Testimony

Battalion Chief Tim Haakenson has been the chief at the Waukesha Fire Department for six out of his twenty-two years there. He was on duty on November 21st, 2021. He received an alert at 4:39 p.m. regarding a vehicle versus pedestrian incident. At first, only Battalion Chief Haakenson’s station was dispatched, but eventually, every other station in Waukesha was sent to the scene. The last of the seventy-three total patients was in transit to the hospital by 5:35 p.m.

Nicole White’s Testimony

Nicole White was walking with the Re/max group when she was struck from behind. This was the first time she knew something was wrong. She never saw the vehicle stop and never heard a car horn, either before or after being struck. Several people helped Miss White get to safety before later being transported to the hospital by a police officer. She suffered a torn ligament in her right knee, two compressed vertebrae, and a tailbone injury. Miss White approximated that the vehicle was going about twenty miles per hour or thirty-two kilometers per hour.

Sarah Wehmeier-Aparicio’s Testimony

Sarah Wehmeier-Aparicio has been the band director at Waukesha South High School on and off for ten years. She was walking with the school band when Mr. Brooks drove through the parade. At first, Miss Wehmeier-Aparicio thought that it was an emergency vehicle until she saw people flying. Then she thought it was an accident until she saw the driver’s face. He was attentive and wasn’t looking for a way to exit the route. Miss Wehmeier-Aparicio didn’t hear a car horn, but she believed that she would have. It would’ve been an unexpected sound and would stand out. She didn’t notice anything amiss beforehand.

Kyle Jewell’s Testimony

Kyle Jewell attended the Christmas parade. The high school band was going by when he saw the red SUV strike and run over people. He didn’t hear a car horn and didn’t see the driver stop. Mr. Jewell wasn’t comfortable making a police report, but did anyway after being advised to.

Thomas Greene’s Testimony

Thomas Greene attended the parade with his wife and three children, two of whom were hit and injured. They were nine and eleven at the time.

Kelly Grabow’s Testimony

Kelly Grabow and her daughter Adelia were both walking with Burst Logistics when they were hit. Like any good mother, Miss Grabow made sure her daughter was taken care of before getting treatment for herself.

Jeff Rogers’ Testimony

Jeff Rogers is the president and a coach for the Waukesha Blazers Youth Baseball Program, of which Jackson Sparks was a member. He was walking with the group with three of his four children. He pulled his daughter Maya out of the way but was unable to get to his other two children before they were hit. Mr. Rogers’ son Cayden had a bruised right elbow, while his daughter Riley had cuts, bruises, and scrapes on both legs.

Joshua Kraner’s Testimony

Joshua Kraner was also a coach for the Blazers Youth Baseball Program. He was struck but didn’t see anyone else get struck. He looked for his son, who was luckily uninjured.

Alyssa Gajewski’s Testimony

Alyssa Gajewski used to teach the elite group at Xtreme Dance Group, which she was walking with. Several of her girls were hit and she described the injuries that she observed on them. Miss Gajewski had blacked out, saying that she heard people getting struck but wasn’t able to see it happening.

Jaimie Sutton’s Testimony

Jamie Sutton also taught at the Xtreme Dance Group and walked with the girls. She gathered the girls who had not been hit and reunited some of them with their parents. She took those who weren’t reunited into Chef Pam’s Kitchen when she heard about an active shooting. Miss Sutton thought the vehicle was experiencing brake failure due to how fast it was going. However, she didn’t see any physical damage to the vehicle.

Detective Mike Carpenter’s Testimony

Detective Mike Carpenter has been a detective in the computer forensics unit at WCPD for twelve out of twenty years. He reviewed a surveillance video from Bosco’s to conduct a speed analysis. Detective Carpenter found that the red SUV was going between thirty-three point-seven and thirty-four point-six miles per hour. That equates to fifty-four point twenty-three and fifty-five point sixty-eight kilometers per hour.

Debora Ramirez’s Testimony

Debora Ramirez attended the parade with her family. Both she and her son Isaac were hit. The two went to Urgent Care in Pewaukee the next day, as they didn’t need immediate attention like others did.

Stefanie Bonesteel’s Testimony

Stefanie Bonesteel is the head of marketing at Citizen’s Bank. She was tasked with assembling her co-workers to march in the parade, one of whom was Jane Kulich. She was walking with her kids when she saw the red SUV coming for her. She wasn’t hit since the SUV had swerved. However, Mrs. Bonesteel did see it strike someone. She found her kids, who were luckily uninjured. Despite it being three to five feet away from her, the fear and shock kept her from identifying the color of the SUV.

Adam Bonesteel’s Testimony

Adam Bonesteel volunteered to drive the float for Citizen’s Bank. The six-year-old daughter of one of his wife’s co-workers was next to him in the passenger’s seat. He saw Jane Kulich get hit by the SUV. At first, Mr. Bonesteel didn’t know who it was but knew that she was part of the Citizen’s Bank unit. He later checked on Jane and immediately knew she was gone.

Matthew Harris’s Testimony

Matthew Harris attended the parade with his family. The Dancing Grannies just went by when the SUV went through. He would’ve run after it, but he noticed that his seven-year-old daughter was injured.

Heather Ricciotti’s Testimony

Heather Ricciotti was attending the parade with her three children when a maroonish-red SUV passed them. Her five-year-old son Owen was hit. After dropping her other two kids off at home, Miss Ricciotti took Owen to Waukesha Memorial Hospital. He had a gash above his right eyebrow, which required six stitches.

Daniel Knapp’s Testimony

Daniel Knapp attended the parade with his family and three other families, totaling nineteen people. His three kids were eleven, seven, and three. He saw an SUV driving toward them and striking his three-year-old daughter Kelsey (approximate spelling). He saw no one else struck, as his daughter was his sole focus. He ran to her side and noticed all of the blood on her face. Kelsey was conscious but didn’t understand what was going on. Mr. Knapp made sure the rest of his group was okay before taking her to the hospital. She had a broken nose, a torn spleen, a road rash, and cuts to her face. He only saw the driver inside the vehicle, who he described as a black male whose “eyes were completely wide open”. He identified the defendant as the driver.

Laura Thein’s Testimony

Laura Thein is part of the Dancing Grannies. She didn’t hear anything unusual because the music vehicle was right behind her. She was not struck but went into shock when she saw all of the bodies. Miss Thein went over who else was a part of the Dancing Grannies and who all was hit. Two of the grannies and someone who was helping them were killed. She said that she thought that she was in a war because of how many bodies there were.

Hope Evans-Jansen’s Testimony

Hope Evans-Jansen attended the parade with her family. Her ten-year-old daughter recorded the parade on her iPhone and captured the Dancing Grannies getting struck. Mrs. Evans-Jansen sent this video to the police.

Trooper Michael Smith’s Testimony

Trooper Michael Smith has been a reconstructionist with the TCU at Wisconsin State Patrol since 2004. He has been with the State Patrol as a whole since 2000. Trooper Smith recreated the scene in a controlled environment and subsequently created a scale diagram.

Doctor Amy Sheil’s Testimony

Doctor Amy Sheil has been the associate medical examiner at the Waukesha County Medical Examiner’s Officer for seven and a half years. She autopsied Leanna Owens, Virginia Sorenson, and Jackson Sparks. Doctor Sheil went over their injuries and causes of death.

Doctor Lynda Biedryzycki’s Testimony

Doctor Lynda Biedryzycki has been the medical examiner at the Waukesha County Medical Examiner’s Officer for twenty-five years. She autopsied Tamara Durand, Wilhelm Hospel, and Jane Kulich. Doctor Biedryzycki went over their injuries and causes of death.

Matthew Widder’s Testimony

Matthew Widder is a Catholic pastor and walked in the parade with the Catholic community. He went over who in their group was struck.

Detective Lukas Hallmark’s Testimony

Detective Lukas Hallmark has been a detective at WCPD for approximately fifteen years. He was walking with the Catholic community. He initially thought the red SUV was a lost motorist until he saw how fast it was going. Detective Hallmark approximated the speed to be between thirty and forty miles per hour or forty-eight to sixty-four kilometers per hour. He and his two sons Elliot and Benjamin were hit.

Craig Liermann’s Testimony

Craig Liermann attended the parade with his family. He got a good look at the driver, who he described as a light-skinned black male in his mid to late thirties with facial hair and long dreadlocks. Mr. Liermann saw the driver stick his head out of the window and look back, seemingly excited. He made sure his family was okay before checking on others.

Ralph Salyers’ Testimony

Ralph Salyers attended the parade with his family. On his way home, he saw the defendant get out and examine his car. He allegedly yelled “fuck” before grabbing items from the car and running. Mr. Salyers estimated this to have happened between ten and twenty seconds.

Bryce Scholten’s Testimony

Officer Bryce Scholten has been an officer at WCPD for approximately seven and a half years. He is currently assigned to the criminal investigations department but was a police officer at the time. Officer Scholten was assigned to the end of the parade route. He shot at Mr. Brooks three times but missed all three times.

Christopher Moss’ Testimony

Officer Christopher Moss has worked at WCPD for fourteen years. He was a part of the color guard for the WCPD unit. He clocked into work after he finished walking in the parade when he heard requests for backup. Officer Moss quickly finished getting dressed and responded back to the parade. He was attempting to help two elderly women when Officer Scholten approached and told him what he did. He was then told by a Hispanic man where the suspected vehicle was, which he secured, and found that it was registered to Dawn Woods, who is Mr. Brooks’ mother. Officer Moss helped write the search warrant that allowed the police to search the vehicle.

Carlos Arechiga Nolasco’s Testimony

Carlos Arechiga Nolasco was at home when he heard a screech from outside. He looked out his window and saw someone jump over the hood of an unknown damaged car and run away. Mr. Nolasco asked his downstairs neighbors if they knew anything about the car. They didn’t and were also confused.

Sean Backler’s Testimony

Sean Backler was working outside his house around 4:49 p.m. when he heard noises around his garage. He found the defendant and asked who he was. The defendant asked Mr. Backler to call him an Uber, but he refused and asked him to leave his property. Mr. Brooks hesitantly complied. Mr. Backler called the non-emergency line and described what the defendant was wearing when they met.

Domanic Caproon’s Testimony

Domanic Caproon was putting water jugs into his truck when he was approached by Mr. Brooks. He allowed him to use his phone to call an Uber.

Erin Cordes’s Testimony

Erin Cordes attended the parade with her husband and two children. They saw Officer Scholten fire at the red SUV. Mrs. Cordes and her family were on their way to their car when they were approached by Mr. Brooks, who she said wasn’t dressed appropriately for the weather. She hesitantly let him use her phone to call his mom.

Anthony Winters’ Testimony

Anthony Winters was driving for Lyft, which is a similar service to Uber. He got a ride request from someone named Dawn at 550 Elizabeth Street, the address of Aries Industries. Mr. Winters was told by the person who requested the ride that it was for someone else and was given a description. No one showed up, so he left the address.

Daniel Rider’s Testimony

Daniel Rider lives across the street from Aries Industries and was home alone when Mr. Brooks rang his doorbell around five p.m. He said that was homeless and needed to check on where his Uber was. Mr. Rider allowed him inside to use his phone and warm up. He also made Mr. Brooks a sandwich, seeing how he was under the impression that he was homeless. Mr. Brooks was thankful for Mr. Rider’s kindness and willingly left when he was asked to. He was arrested on the porch. Mr. Rider gave footage from his ring camera over to police.

Officer Rebecca Carpenter’s Testimony

Officer Rebecca Carpenter is an officer at Big Bend PD, a patrol officer in East Troy, and an assistant chief in Eagle. She was on duty but was not assigned to the parade. She was one of the officers who arrested Mr. Brooks. Several items were found in his pockets, including the sandwich that Mr. Rider made for him. Officer Carpenter found the sandwich while a different officer found the other items.

Officer Garrett Luling’s Testimony

Officer Garrett Luling is an officer at WCPD and was one of the officers who arrested Mr. Brooks.

Officer Draelon Leija’s Testimony

Officer Draelon Leija has been an officer at WCPD for two years. He reported to Memorial Hospital, where he met with Detectives Jay Carpenter and Stern. Officer Leija was tasked with transporting Mr. Brooks to the Muskego Police Department from the hospital.

Detective Jay Carpenter’s Testimony

Detective Jay Carpenter has been a detective at WPF for five of his eighteen years. He was a part of the color guard as well. He reported to Elizabeth Street after going on duty. Detective Carpenter interrogated Mr. Brooks twice. The FBI was present during the first interrogation, as it wasn’t clear if the attack involved terrorism. The recordings for both interrogations were played with prior bad acts excluded pursuant to a prior ruling made by the judge.

Juan Marquez’s Testimony

Juan Marquez was a defense witness who was called out of turn due to the scheduling of the translator that he needed. His testimony interrupted Detective Carpenter’s testimony because of this. Mr. Marquez was walking in the parade with his wife and son in the Catholic community. He heard no horn, so he didn’t see anything unusual when he was hit from behind. He was interviewed by an FBI agent.

Detective Jay Carpenter’s Continued Testimony

Detective Jay Carpenter resumed his testimony after Mr. Marquez. The first interrogation he had with Mr. Brooks happened at Memorial Hospital. The second happened at the Muskego Police Department, which was their temporary base while the main building was under construction.

Steven Schlomann’s Testimony

Steven Schlomann is the IT director for the Waukesha school district. He reviewed and handed surveillance over to the police.

Robert Stone II’s Testimony

Robert Stone II lives in Waukesha. He has security cameras on his house that caught Mr. Brooks go by. He provided the footage to police.

Andrew Amerson’s Testimony

Andrew Amerson lives in Waukesha. He has security cameras on his house that caught Mr. Brooks go by. He provided the footage to police.

Leonard Miller’s Testimony

Leonard Miller lives in Waukesha. He has security cameras on his house that caught Mr. Brooks go by. He provided the footage to police via email. He was on his way to look at Christmas lights when he saw a SWAT team in front of his home.

Kyle Becker’s Testimony

Kyle Becker is a specialist at WCPD, but I didn’t hear what he specializes in. He was part of the team that searched for Mr. Brooks’ discarded items, which were his sandals and hoodie.

After Mr. Becker’s testimony, the jury went to view the red SUV before they were released for lunch.

Justin Rowe’s Testimony

Detective Justin Rowe was also part of the search for Mr. Brooks’ items. He also obtained surveillance videos.

Ryan Schultz’s Testimony

Ryan Schultz is a reconstructionist with the Wisconsin State Patrol. He examined the red SUV.

Chris Johnson’s Testimony

Chris Johnson is a crime scene analyst at the state crime lab. He also examined the red SUV.

Trevor Naleid’s Testimony

Trevor Naleid was the senior forensic scientist in the DNA analysis unit at the state crime lab. He tested the DNA from the car.

The State rested.

Defense’s Opening Statement

Mr. Brooks deferred his opening statement until the beginning of his case. He said that there are always two sides to a story and that it’s easy to forget the other side of the coin. Although tragic, this attack wasn’t planned or intentional and there was a lot of suffering because of it.

State of Wisconsin’s Testimony

Mr. Brooks attempted to call the State of Wisconsin to the stand, which was quickly shut down.

Nicholas Kirby’s Testimony

Nicholas Kirby was the second witness Mr. Brooks called during his case, or the third witness if you include Mr. Marquez. He was walking with Miss Runkle and Miss Patterson, whom he advised not to meet up with Mr. Brooks. He said that he had a bad feeling that something would happen if they did. And he was right. Both Miss Runkle and Mr. Kirby ran to help her. He informed an officer they ran into on their way to help. He believed that the involvement of a knife was a miscommunication, as he had a knife injury from a previous incident that was unrelated to Mr. Brooks.

Heather Riemer’s Testimony

Heather Riemer attended the parade with her husband and three of their friends. She heard honking, but she wasn’t sure if it came from the red SUV or another vehicle. No one in Mrs. Riemer’s group was injured.

Douglas Kolar’s Testimony

Douglas Kolar attended the parade with his daughter, who was in the parade. He grabbed his daughter after Mr. Brooks drove through and hurried her to their car. Neither was injured.

Detective Steven Guth’s Testimony

Detective Steven Guth was recalled as a defense witness. He said that he was originally off duty on November 21st, 2021.

Erika Patterson’s Testimony

Erika Patterson was recalled as a defense witness. She said that she first met Mr. Brooks in Reno, Nevada. She said that she called Mr. Kirby’s phone because Miss Runkle’s phone kept going to voicemail.

Deanna Aldrich’s Testimony

Deanna Aldrich was home when she heard a noise. She saw a car that was “smashed to smithereens” when she looked outside. She saw someone running away but was unable to get a clear description since she didn’t have her glasses on.

Christopher Bertram’s Testimony

Christopher Bertram was taking his mother’s car to a mechanic friend when he saw a smashed-up car and the driver. He didn’t remember the description of the driver he provided to law enforcement.

Jason Hayes’s Testimony

Jason Hayes attended the parade with his daughter. He heard a horn, but didn’t see anyone get struck.

Abel Lazcano’s Testimony

Abel Lazcano attended the parade with his wife and daughter. He was the Hispanic male who reported the location the SUV was found.

Kathleen Yourell’s Testimony

Kathleen Yourell’s four children participated in the parade, all of whom were hit. She thankfully never saw them get hit. Mrs. Yourell described the injuries that her children had.

Katrice Babiasz’s Testimony

Katrice Babiasz has been a law enforcement dispatch supervisor for sixteen years. She attended the parade with her family. They were set up near the beginning and saw the SUV enter the parade route. Mrs. Babiasz heard the driver honking the horn and gesturing. She said that he seemed to look “through” her, which was very frightening for her. She was struck, but she didn’t tell anyone since no one asked. Although Mrs. Babiasz never saw anyone get struck, it seemed to her that the driver was trying to strike people.

Judge Dorrow closed Mr. Brooks’ defense case for him.

State’s Closing Argument

District Attorney Sue Opper delivered the closing argument for the State. She expressed gratitude towards the jury from the prosecution team. Because Mr. Brooks kept asking witnesses about it, she said that they represent the plaintiff, which was/is the State of Wisconsin. Attorney Opper said that it is their job to enforce when the laws that people set up are violated. She asked them to obey Judge Dorrow’s instructions before going over the charges, evidence, and witness testimony. They only included those who were hit by the defendant in the charges to keep things more efficient.

Defense’s Closing Argument

Despite being told not to, Mr. Brooks immediately tried to bring up jury nullification, which, according to FindLaw, is the jury’s power to acquit a defendant despite finding them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He reiterated from his opening that this wasn’t intentional. Mr. Brooks then tried to sympathize with the jury, saying that he never got to meet his newborn grandson and that he believes in Jesus. He implored the jury to “do what’s right”.

State’s Rebuttal Closing Arguments

Attorney Opper called Mr. Brooks out during her rebuttal arguments, saying that it doesn’t matter that he “profess[es] to be the finest man under God that you can be” after he ran over children.

Mr. Brooks’ Conduct During the Trial

Mr. Brooks interrupted Judge Jennifer Dorrow several times during the trial. Judge Dorrow was very calm and patient with him. She gave him several chances on multiple occasions throughout the trial to get his act together before having him removed to another courtroom. He appeared over video conference, where Judge Dorrow could mute him if need be. During one of these times on the first day, Mr. Brooks had a tantrum and took his shirt off. When questioning the witnesses, Mr. Brooks would ask them about the plaintiff and who they were. It came across as if he didn’t understand how the state of Wisconsin could be the plaintiff in his case. However, according to Wikipedia, it is a tactic sovereign citizens use during trial. Judge Dorrow admonished Mr. Brooks on day three, saying that his not understanding of the law was no longer an excuse now that they were at trial. Mr. Brooks seemed to be more intimidated by the male witnesses than the female witnesses. This seems to be deep-rooted misogyny. Something he said that might prove this is “Remember, non-response is consent”. This doesn’t necessarily pertain to Mr. Brooks’ conduct during the trial, but there was a tornado warning on the fifth day, so Judge Dorrow stopped his cross-examination of Daniel Knapp to take an early lunch break so that everyone could stay safe during the warning. He was able to continue afterward, then court went into recess for the day so everyone who lived in the area could make sure their properties and loved ones were safe. On day thirteen, while he was in the other courtroom, Mr. Brooks kept making box forts with his evidence boxes and at one point could be heard yelling, despite being muted. He kept mispronouncing words. I know that some of it was African American Vernacular English or AAVE, but there were some words that he just plain old butchered. The most common was the word “tacit”. It is pronounced “Tas-it”, but he kept saying “tack-it”. He also kept saying “substain” instead of “sustain”. He said it so much that I caught myself writing “substain” while I was taking notes. On day six, Mr. Brooks went on a fifty-minute rant about some SovCit BS. He brought up that Judge Dorrow knew someone who was involved with this case and asked her why she would have their phone number if they had a “strictly professional relationship”. There are several reasons as to why co-workers may exchange phone numbers. The first thing that comes to mind for me is maybe one of them got into a car accident and needs a ride to work or something. During sentencing, Judge Dorrow disclosed that Mr. Brooks had previously been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, which is commonly associated with psychopathy and sociopathy. A doctor wrote in her report from a pre-trial evaluation that she found nothing that could corroborate that he was exhibiting “signs of impaired reality” before the incident. Mr. Brooks said “grounds” seven hundred and forty-four times, “lawful law” twenty-one times, “objection” one thousand five hundred and twenty-one times, and brought up subject matter jurisdiction eighty-three times.

Verdict and Sentencing

1st Degree Intentional Homicide (6 counts): guilty

1st Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety (61 counts): guilty

Hit and Run–Involve Death (6 counts): guilty

Bail Jumping–Felony (2 counts): guilty

Battery (1 count): guilty

Battery (1 count): dismissed

Homicide by Veh. Use–Control. Substance (6 counts): dismissed

Darrell Brooks was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences plus seven hundred sixty-eight and a half years. He was also ordered to pay restitution.

Personal Opinions

These are just my opinions. Feel free to disagree, but keep it as respectful as possible. I believe Darrell kept objecting just as an excuse to disrupt and/or stall the proceedings. However, for someone who had no knowledge of the law, I’m surprised that a few of his objections were sustained. In my opinion, Officer Moss kinda looks like Lin Manuel Miranda. Also, Daniel Rider was very kind to let Darrell into his house, even though it was under false pretenses. I also believe that he inadvertently stalled him long enough for the police to find and arrest him.

[eternavenus]

Mañana estaré en @felizarcoiris en acusticxs magicxs que organiza la gran @camille_android , tocando esta canción popular, afroamericana, el primer freedom, creada a partir de un famoso suceso que revolucionó el movimiento negro norteamericano. Mañana contare bien la historia, y cantaré también unas canciones má mías. Gratarola, 21:00 empieza. Os espero seres virtuales. . . @villarvera en camara y puesta, te quiero. . . . .#freedom #musica #musicanegra #musicaafricana #hospel #felizaarcoiris https://www.instagram.com/p/BofCfX4Bmy5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1541buh9fs2st

[zeoj99]

The Waukesha parade massacre was caused by a random out of control SUV and not a crazed abusive driver with a history of running people over with his car

My favorite "conspiracies" are:

-There were no shooters JFKs head just did that

-Stanley Kubrick was hired to film a fake moon landing but made them do it on location

[mysteriesofmarcy]

Twitter has decided that I am subhuman. So I have decided to switch to Gab. If you don't know what Gab is, it's basically Twitter but without all the censorship. So come on over and follow me there!

[ireblogthetruth]

My local news comes from Milwaukee, so they can't exactly do that, but it'll be interesting to see how much coverage they actually give it here in the coming weeks. Also, I might know one of the victims, so all I can say is they better arrest and convict this criminal!

[coochiequeens]

If the pigs took domestic violence and statutory rape seriously his ass would have been in jail and those 5 people would still be alive

The five people killed by a driver who rammed into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday evening have been identified.

Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson read out the names at a press conference on Monday afternoon: Virginia Sorenson, 79; LeAnna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81. Mr Thompson also confirmed the injury toll had risen from 40 to 48.

The suspected driver, 39-year-old Darrell Brooks, is facing five counts of first-degree intentional homicide, police said. He was allegedly involved in a “domestic dispute” moments prior to driving onto the parade route, and court records show he has an extensive rap sheet dating back to 1999.

Video from the tragedy showed a red SUV barrelling at high speed into band members and cheerleaders marching in close formation, striking multiple people and scattering the crowd.

Witnesses described the “horrifying” incident and said the “calm” driver was “going from side to side, targeting people”.

Children’s Wisconsin, a paediatric hospital in Milwaukee, confirmed it treated 18 minor victims, ranging in age from three to 16 years old. Six of the child victims required surgery and 10 remained in the intensive care unit as of midday Monday.

The suspect who is accused of plowing into a Christmas parade in Waukesha had been released on bail just a few days before the deadly attack on charges of driving over an ex-partner.

Darrell Edward Brooks, 39, was taken into custody on Sunday night shortly after a red Ford Escape SUV drove into a the parade in the Wisconsin city, killing five and injuring 48 people, including 18 children aged 3 to 16.

Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson said Mr Brooks would be charged with five counts of intentional first-degree homicide, and further charges were likely.

Mr Thompson said police were called to a domestic disturbance involving Mr Brooks just before the tragedy occurred, but he had left the scene in his SUV before they arrived.

He drove towards the parade route before smashing through a police barricade and colliding with marchers at high speed on Waukesha’s Main St at 4.39pm local time.

According to criminal record searches, Mr Brooks was a longtime felon whose offending dated back to 1999. He has convictions for drug and firearm possession, strangulation, battery and resisting arrest, has been sentenced to two prison terms, and spent years on probation and under court supervision.

On 2 November, Mr Brooks was arrested on domestic violence charges after he allegedly tried to run over the mother of his child.

He was charged with recklessly endangering safety, felony bail jumping, battery, obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct.

Brooks posted the $1,000 bond and was released on 11 November.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm released a statement on Monday morning to say the bail recommendation was “inappropriately low” in light of his criminal record and the active charges against him.

He said the bail recommendations were “not consistent” with his office’s approach on defendant’s facing violent crime charges and he would be undertaking an internal review of the decision.

Mr Brooks was also facing active charges of recklessly endangering safety and possesion of a firearm as a felon in July 2020.

In that case bail was initially set at $10,000 before being reduced to $7,500. Mr Brooks remained in custody until 9 February 2021, when he was released on $500 bail after the trial was delayed.

He is also listed as a tier two sexual offender on Nevada’s sex offender register for a 1996 conviction for statutory sexual seduction.

Mr Brooks was an amateur rapper who released several videos to YouTube under the stage name MathBoi Fly.

In a song named Half a Tikket, which was taken down by YouTube, Mr Brooks’ SUV appears onscreen behind him.

His songs frequently reference extreme violence and show automatic weapons, and he has threatened former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama in his lyrics.

In since-deleted social media accounts, Mr Brooks described himself as an “underground hip-hop recording artist”.

Mr Brooks had also been posting on social media about the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, which concluded in Kenosha on Friday about 50 miles south of Waukesha.

But police have ruled out any link to the Rittenhouse trial, and said it was not a terrorism incident.

Police squads were seen outside Brooks’ home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday night, where his damaged SUV was parked in a driveway.

Five people aged between 52 and 79 - including three members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies - died and 48 were injured after Mr Brooks drove through police barricades and into the Christmas parade.

[sevejainsta]

#seveja #sevejacombr #duplahonra #hospel #miguelpereira @pastorahelenaraquel @duplahonra @ @welitonsouza @fer (em Miguel Pereira)

[louisianaprelawland-blog]

Man Who Drove Suv Into Waukesha Christmas Parade Found Guilty Of Intentional Homicide

By Yvonne Kalpakis, Loyola University New Orleans Class of 2023

October 30, 2022

Six people were killed and numerous others were injured when Darrell Brooks drove his SUV into a crowd of people watching a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in November 2021[1]. He was found guilty on Wednesday of six charges of first-degree intentional homicide[1]. For the convictions, a mandatory life in prison term applies to him[1].

The prosecution won all 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety with the use of a deadly weapon against Brooks, six counts of fatal hit-and-run; two instances of felony bail jumping; and one count of misdemeanor domestic abuse[1].

The four women and the man who were killed have been named as Virginia Sorenson, 79, LeAnna Owen, 71, Tamara Durand, 52, Jane Kulich, 52, and Wilhelm Hospel, 81, according to city officials[2]. 48 additional injuries were reported, including two children who are in critical condition, according to authorities[2].

Brooks appeared in court on his own behalf and was confrontational the entire time, frequently speaking over the judge to make absurd and pointless arguments[1].

It was reported that he interrupted the judge and the prosecution often throughout the trial, asked evasive questions, contested the court's jurisdiction, and insisted that “Darrell Brooks” is not his real name[1]. For his frequent outbursts, Judge Jennifer Dorow has removed Brooks from the courtroom and sent him to a neighboring courtroom where he can interact through a monitor and a microphone that is often muted[1]. She described him as “stubbornly disobedient” on Tuesday after taking him out of the room during the prosecution's final arguments because of interruptions[1].

The trial took place less than a year after he killed an 8-year-old boy and several “Dancing Grannies” group members by plowing a red SUV through the crowd during Waukesha's Christmas parade on November 21[1].

Less than two weeks previous, Brooks had been freed from prison in a domestic violence case after posting a bail of $1,000, which prosecutors later acknowledged was “inappropriately low.[1]” According to court records, he allegedly drove over the mother of his child in that incident[1].

In their closing statements on Tuesday, the prosecution said that the defendant deliberately drove at high speeds through the throng, striking 68 parade participants, turning a happy afternoon into a terrible one[1]. “He reached speeds of approximately 30 mph. That’s intentional. He plowed through 68 different people. 68. How can you hit one and keep going? How can you hit two and keep going?” Susan Opper, the district attorney for Waukesha County, said[1].

In his own concluding remarks, Brooks tried to cast doubt on the car and his motivations[1]. He claimed numerous times that “misconceptions” and “lies” had been spread about him during the trial[1].

Brooks remarked, “I've never heard of someone trying to deliberately damage someone while trying to blow their horn in an effort to make people aware of their presence[1].”

The jury rapidly reached its verdicts after deliberating for less than two hours on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning[1].

Brooks had previously used his insanity as a defense, but his public defenders withdrew that claim in September[1]. After the lawyers submitted a motion to leave the case, the judge decided to let Brooks defend himself in court[1]. In her closing remarks, Opper, the prosecution attorney, urged the jury not to let Brooks' actions during the trial affect their decision-making[1].

In her closing remarks, Opper, the prosecution attorney, urged the jury not to let Brooks' actions during the trial affect their decision-making[1].

At a news conference on Monday, representatives of Milwaukee's Children's Wisconsin pediatric trauma center revealed that 18 kids, including three pairs of siblings, were treated there[2]. The kids’ ages ranged from  3 to 16 years old[2]. Soon after the event, police notified the hospital, and additional medical personnel, including surgeons, nurses, and doctors, were brought in, according to the officials. 5:30 p.m[2]. saw the admission of the first patient[2].

According to Dr. Amy Drendel, medical director of the hospital, the children sustained from facial burns, shattered bones, severe head trauma, and other wounds[2].

______________________________________________________________

Yvonne Kalpakis is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Loyola University New Orleans studying to earn a degree in Criminology and Justice with a minor in Forensic Science. She hopes to pursue a career in CSI work after graduation.

______________________________________________________________

[1]https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/26/us/waukesha-christmas-parade-trial/index.html

[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/20-injured-suv-drives-wisconsin-holiday-parade-route-rcna6292

[liuliuqiusblog]

Car run over incident

# violence A Wisconsin man was arrested and charged with driving an SUV into a crowd at the Waukesha Christmas Parade on Main Street as revelers watched in horror, officials said Monday. The man, Darrell E. Brooks, 39, was arrested on suspicion of five counts of manslaughter, Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson told reporters. City officials identified the four women and men killed as Virginia Sorenson, 79; Leona Irwin, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Coolidge, 52; and William Hospel, 81. Another 48 people were injured, including two children in critical condition, police said. At 4:39 p.m. Sunday, Mr. Brooks "deliberately drove his maroon SUV through a barricade and into a crowd," Mr. Thompson said.

[technomoz]

Victims in the Waukesha, Wisconsin parade incident include Milwaukee Dancing Grannies members

Victims in the Waukesha, Wisconsin parade incident include Milwaukee Dancing Grannies members

Tamara Durand wrote that she was “so excited” about her marching appearance with the band, as she said in a Facebook post. On Monday, the city of Waukesha confirmed the names of five victims, 79-year-old Virginia Sorenson. Liana Owen, 71 years old; Tamara Durand, 52 years old; Jane Kulich, 52, and Wilhelm Hospel, 81. A sixth victim, a child, has since died, officials said Tuesday. Prosecutors…

[liuliuqiusblog]

An SUV running over a man

# violence

Revelers watched in horror as a Wisconsin man was arrested and charged with driving an SUV into a crowd at the Waukesha Christmas Parade on Main Street, officials said Monday. The man, Darrell E. Brooks, 39, was arrested on suspicion of five counts of manslaughter, Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson told reporters. City officials identified the four women and men killed as Virginia Sorenson, 79; Leona Irwin, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Coolidge, 52; and William Hospel, 81. Another 48 people were injured, including two children in critical condition, police said. At 4:39 p.m. Sunday, Mr. Brooks "deliberately drove his maroon SUV through a barricade and into a crowd," Mr. Thompson said. Law enforcement sources said Brooks had been involved in a domestic incident involving a knife before the crash, but it was not immediately clear who the victim was. Brooks fled the scene of a domestic disturbance when officers arrived and was then redirected to the parade, police said. "Was there an initial complaint about a knife involved? Yes, "Thompson said. "Do we know if there really is one? We don't know, because we didn't even get there. We finally responded immediately to the crisis." Thompson said an officer fired at the SUV but quickly stopped, believing there were too many people nearby. No one was shot. Brooks was taken into custody shortly after the collision.

[demianblog]

El jefe de policía se ahoga al nombrar a las víctimas de Wisconsin

El jefe de policía se ahoga al nombrar a las víctimas de Wisconsin

Un jefe de policía luchó por contener las lágrimas al nombrar a las víctimas muertas cuando un automóvil se estrelló contra un desfile de Navidad en Waukesha, Wisconsin. Al menos cinco personas murieron, Daniel Thompson las identificó como: Sr. Wilhelm Hospel, 81 años Virginia Sorenson, 79 años Sra. LeAnna Owen, 71 años Sra. Tamara Durand, 52 años Sra. Jane Kulich, 52 años Durante la conferencia…

[molebradry]

Playlist: https://goo.gl/66Aqnk 1:40 - Battle Snidle, Snag Magneton 8:10 - Battle Hospel 15:58 - Battle Fudler 25:19 - Battle Agnic Snag Venomoth and Weepinbell 35:12 - Battle Acrod 42:12 - Underwhelming explosion and then battle Smarton Snag Arbok 53:28 - Battle Gorigan Snag Primeape and Hypno Then the big bad reveals himself. And says we'll never reach him. Then we get the Mecha Kyogre boat. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support Me On Ko-Fi: https://ift.tt/2s1w37u Subscribe to Me: https://goo.gl/Jb4xtm Most Recent Upload: https://goo.gl/CcnPeH Most Popular Upload: https://goo.gl/id51qE Twitter: http://goo.gl/GjHNP -------------------------------------------------------------------- #PokemonXD #GamingMole #Pokemon

[junker-town]

PGA Tour’s Players Championship proceeds with fans in midst of coronavirus pandemic

Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA TOUR

As much of the sports world reacts to coronavirus by shutting down or limiting access, the PGA Tour’s crown jewel event at TPC Sawgrass continues as planned. For now.

The show goes on at The Players Championship.

The PGA Tour released a statement after midnight ET on Thursday saying the first round of The Players will proceed with the gates open to ticketed fans. The tournament hosts an estimated 200,000 fans over four tournament days. Meanwhile, other major American sports are either suspending games outright or removing fans.

The NBA suspended its season Wednesday, and added a layer of uncertainty over the PGA Tour’s flagship event, which will be starting early Thursday morning 10 hours after the NBA’s announcement. The players in the field were texted an update after 11 p.m. ET Wednesday telling them to prepare to play Round 1 as scheduled. Then the Tour issued its first public update around 12:15 a.m.:

The PGA Tour is aware of rapidly changing developments regarding Covid-19. With the information currently available, The Players Championship will continue as scheduled, although we will absolutely continue to review recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and local health administrations. This is obviously a very fluid situation that requires constant review, communication and transparency, and we are dedicated to all three aspects. The PGA Tour will provide an additional update by 12 p.m. ET on Thursday.

In the meantime, players in the field have been notified to be prepared to play Round 1, as scheduled.

Fans who no longer wish to attend The Players Championship may request a refund or exchange; details on how to do so will be announced shortly. Please visit PGATOUR.COM/THEPLAYERS for more information.

The statement leads with the “rapidly changing developments” in the Covid-19 pandemic and the sports world’s response to it. That included Wednesday’s news that the NCAA tournament will close its games to the public along with most of this week’s college basketball conference tournaments, and the European Tour postponing its second straight event. The NBA announcing its plan to close games to the public before suspending the season outright later in the day after Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.

As news changed rapidly and social media curiosity around the status of The Players heightened, the Tour tweeted a video of a crowd packed in at a Chainsmokers concert held at TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday. The tweet came just four minutes after President Donald Trump finished his address, and was eventually deleted (although the next tweet of some Sungjae Im highlights with the caption “whatever happens, happens” didn’t quell shouts of tone-deafness).

Commissioner Jay Monahan fielded multiple questions about the PGA’s Covid-19 plans in his Tuesday press conference and said that a “business unit” would be addressing the “market-to-market” dynamic across their multiple Tours.

“I would tell you that it started out as a task force,” Monahan said. “It’s now essentially a business unit, where we have two leaders, Tom Hospel, our medical director, and Alison Keller, our chief administrative officer, who have organized a large team to fully understand the coronavirus and its implications on all facets of our business. I think it goes without saying that the health, safety, well-being of our players, our fans, our tournaments, everybody that’s involved in our ecosystem is of utmost importance.”

The only change to tournament plans coming in the update late Wednesday night was the addition that fans “may request” a refund or exchange of their tickets. At least one player in the field, Lucas Glover, who teed off Thursday at 7:51 a.m. ET, did not seem thrilled with the proceedings continuing as usual.

Rest of sports and media: why don’t they drug test on the @PGATOUR Tour: okay, we better start doing that too. Rest of sports and media: think we better stop and stay away from crowds. Tour: hold our beers it’s @THEPLAYERSChamp week!!!

— Lucas Glover (@Lucas_Glover_) March 12, 2020

St. John’s county in Florida, where the tournament is held this week, announced its first case of a positive test for coronavirus Wednesday night. While golf is an outdoor sport with a certain level of freedom of movement for attending fans, The Players’ own website last year noted an explosion in attendance and the increased challenge of “shuffling through the crowds” during the four tournament days. Crowds at golf tournaments also tend to skew towards an older demographic relative to other sports.

As commissioner Jay Monahan said of all their operations across the globe and the response to the pandemic, “it’s a very dynamic situation” with a “contingency plan for a lot of different scenarios.” Those contingency plans are undoubtedly being reviewed at the Tour’s headquarters.

[vvrrvv]

GHETTO HOSPEL

[productsofpassion]