Darrell Brooks trial: Defendant disrupts court as jury selection begins in Waukesha Christmas parade attack
Waukesha District Attorney Sue Opper suggested a deputy place Darrell Brooks in a gag after numerous outbursts
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Waukesha Christmas parade attack suspect Darrell Brooks was placed in a separate room Monday as the court attempted to begin the jury selection process in a trial over his alleged November rampage that killed six and injured dozens of innocent revelers.
Brooks, now 40, allegedly plowed an SUV through a procession down Main Street in Waukesha last November, fatally striking six and injuring dozens more. He asked to represent himself last week.
The judge ordered him removed from the court multiple times during the proceedings, in which Brooks complained about paperwork, claimed he didn’t recognize his own name and claimed to be a "sovereign citizen" not subject to the court’s jurisdiction, according to FOX 6 Milwaukee.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After another outburst, Judge Jennifer R. Dorow warned that she would hold Brooks in contempt of court, and eventually Waukesha District Attorney Sue Opper suggested a deputy place Brooks in a gag, according to the station.
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow addresses Darrell Brooks as he appears in a Waukesha County Circuit Court before jury selection in Waukesha on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year killing six people and injuring dozens more. He faces six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 71 other counts. (Pool via Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
"Obviously, this guy clearly has issues, and now you’re throwing sovereign citizen issues on top of it. There’s really no way that we’re going to see a typical jury trial," Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based former federal prosecutor following the case, told Fox News Digital on Monday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And Brooks’ antics could provide him with ammunition for a future appeal, Rahmani added.
Darrell Brooks appears in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during jury selection in Waukesha on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year killing six people and injuring dozens more. He faces six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 71 other counts. (Pool via Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
"It’s really going to be hard to try him in absentia because he’s representing himself," he said. "It creates an appellate issue, an unnecessary appellate issue. He has a right to be present, but obviously he doesn’t have a right to act the way that he is."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dorow last week found Brooks fit to stand trial and allowed him to waive his right to have an attorney and represent himself — but Monday’s fiasco could lead to Brooks, at least temporarily, being deemed incompetent, as happened in the case against Idaho "cult mom" Lori Vallow, whose trial saw months of delays as she underwent mental health treatment, Rahmani said. "Ultimately, her competency was restored. That’s something that may be in issue here."
Darrell Brooks looks up during jury selection as he appears via video from an adjacent courtroom due to him continually interrupting Judge Jennifer Dorow in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during jury selection in Waukesha on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year killing six people and injuring dozens more. He faces six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 71 other counts. (Pool via Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
But after a lunch break Monday, Brooks again got kicked out of the courtroom by an aggravated Dorow – twice more, FOX 6 reported.
"What a s--- show – Judge Dorow may have to appoint him an attorney over his objection," Rahmani said. "The only real issue Brooks raised is asking for more time to review the discovery he received on Friday. The court may have to grant that request."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The six victims killed in the Waukesha parade attack were identified as Jackson Sparks, 8; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; LeAnna Owen, 71; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81. (Facebook)
In a handwritten request to the court obtained by FOX 6, Brooks outlined an 18-step "Demand for Verified Statement of Particulars," asking prosecutors to provide a number of details including "the identity of the alleged defendant" and proof of his citizenship.
He demanded a response within three days and claimed the overwhelming charges against him should be "dismissed with prejudice" if his terms were not met.
After a series of interruptions, jury selection began around 2 p.m. CT. It could continue for most of the week. Twelve jurors and four alternates must be selected out of a pool of more than 300.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}By the end of the day Monday, seven potential jurors out of the first 41 had been let go, FOX 6 reported. Jury selection continues at 1 p.m. CT Tuesday.
Darrell Brooks shields his face with a folder during jury selection as he appears via video from an adjacent courtroom due to him continually interrupting Judge Jennifer Dorow in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during jury selection in Waukesha on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year killing six people and injuring dozens more. He faces six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 71 other counts. (Pool via Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Dorow did not permit the media to stream or broadcast the proceedings, and she limited news cameras to just 30 minutes of recording with no audio. But FOX 6 journalist Bret Lemoine shared updates from the courtroom during several breaks.
The Wisconsin court spent the morning and afternoon attempting to select jurors for Brooks’ trial. Each of the six top charges, including the first-degree intentional homicide charge, carries a sentence of life in prison, and he faces dozens of additional charges in connection with the attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental defect but earlier this month reversed course, fired his public defenders and sought to represent himself.
From a jail visitation room after his arrest, Brooks told Fox News Digital that he felt "dehumanized" and "demonized."
Darrell Brooks appears via video from an adjacent courtroom after being removed by Judge Jennifer Dorow for continuous interruptions in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during jury selection in Waukesha on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year killing six people and injuring dozens more. He faces six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 71 other counts. (Pool via Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooks went into the attack with a 50-page rap sheet that included charges stemming from multiple attacks on women and other family members, and he was released on $1,000 bail just days earlier after allegedly beating up an ex-girlfriend, breaking her phone and running her over with the same SUV used in the parade attack.
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow addresses Darrell Brooks as he appears in a Waukesha County Circuit Court before jury selection in Waukesha on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year killing six people and injuring dozens more. He faces six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 71 other counts. (Mike De Sisti / The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
According to police, he punched the same woman in the face before plowing through the parade.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooks’ violent past stretches back to 1999, when he was accused and later convicted of aggravated battery with intent to cause great bodily harm.