- A Wisconsin jury has found a man guilty of ploughing his car into a Christmas procession last year, killing six people and injuring many more.
- The 40-year-old assailant was acting as his own attorney during the trial. He is facing several mandatory life sentences.
- He fired his public defenders just days before the trial.
A Wisconsin jury has found a man guilty of ploughing his car into a Christmas procession last year, killing six people and injuring many more.
He was angry, according to the prosecution, and his conduct displayed “total disdain for human life.”
During the trial, the 40-year-old assailant, who was acting as his own attorney, repeatedly interrupted the judge and interfered with other procedures.
He is currently facing several mandatory life sentences.
On November 21, when the assailant raced down the street in his red SUV, there were marching school bands and a dance group of Wisconsin grandmothers.
The deceased included Jackson Sparks, age 8, Virginia Sorensen, age 79, LeAnna Owen, age 71, Tamara Durand, age 52, Jane Kulich, age 52, and Wilhelm Hospel, age 81. Over 60 other people suffered injuries.
According to reports, the driver, Darrell Brooks, a resident of neighboring Milwaukee, was evacuating a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend. He was charged with 77 offences.
As the 12-person jury’s verdict was read on Wednesday, he sat motionless with his head in his hands.
“Your actions are that of a murderer,” lead prosecutor Sue Opper said during closing arguments on Tuesday. “When you ride through a parade route and roll over children… your intent is known.”
Ms. Opper told the court that the attacker “never stopped” driving despite the police officers and barricades in his way, before later attempting to “change his appearance” and “get the hell out of town as fast as he could before the cops came”.
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“This was an intentional act… and an act of utter disregard for human life,” she said.
The attacker initially entered a not guilty plea on the basis of mental illness but then retracted it without giving a reason.
He elected to represent himself and fired his public defenders just days before the trial. He identified himself as a “sovereign citizen,” a member of a fringe movement that contends that people are above the law and outside the purview of the government.
The defendant objected to the prosecution’s questioning in court, claimed he didn’t know his own name, and heckled the judge numerous times, forcing her on multiple occasions to shift him to another courtroom where he could listen in on a muted Zoom call.
“This case has demonstrated that a stubbornly defiant defendant can forfeit even important constitutional rights by conduct,” the judge said on Tuesday.
Weeping through his closing statement, the suspect claimed he was “speaking from the heart” and had not intentionally mowed down parade-goers.
“My conscience is clear,” he told jurors. “Whatever you decide, make sure you can live with it.”
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