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A Wisconsin man who is standing trial for allegedly plowing his SUV through a crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha killing six people was kicked out of court yet again for his erratic behavior.
Darrell Brooks, 40, is representing himself and has worked to disrupt his trial, was banned again on Monday to a separate courtroom where he was he proceeded to build a fort with boxes, shielding himself from the camera.
Over the course of his trial, Brooks has stripped his shirt off in court. He has complained that the prosecutors are ‘slick.’ He won’t let the judge get a word in. And he won’t even answer to his own name.
Brooks has worked to disrupt his trial, with his outbursts and chaotic antics leading to Judge Jennifer Dorow admitting she’s frightened of him.
Closing arguments in the trial are slated to begin on Tuesday, after the judge told the jury the Brooks’ defense had rested earlier in the day.
Darrell Brooks, 40, who is on trial for allegedly plowing his SUV through a crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha killing six people, was kicked out of court again for his erratic behavior
Brooks was banned again on Monday to a separate courtroom where he proceeded to build a fort with boxes, shielding himself from the camera
Earlier Monday, Brooks indicated to the court that there is a class action lawsuit regarding the Ford Escape at the center of the case, stating there was a ‘malfunctioning throttle body’ on the SUV, Fox6news reported.
He went on to seek permission to recall an inspector who previously testified in the case – so he could address this issue.
However, the Judge Dorow denied the request, stating that it was not timely. There was a back and forth between Brooks and the judge as he continued to press her for reasons why his request was being denied.
The fed-up judge then sent Brooks to the adjacent courtroom and the court was in recess for lunch, but once everyone was back, Brooks was back to interrupting.
Judge Dorow then told Brooks that he had forfeited his right to call any other witnesses. She went on to say that he has the right to testify in his own defense, but if he does, he would be cross-examined by the prosecution team.
Brooks attempt to get the courts attention as he appears via video from an adjacent courtroom due to his continuous interruptions during his trial in a Waukesha courtroom
Brooks has worked to disrupt his trial, with his outbursts and chaotic antics leading to Judge Jennifer Dorow admitting she’s frightened of him
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow addresses Brooks on Monday
When Judge Dorow asked Brooks if he wanted to testify, there was no response.
‘It is very clear to this court. It’s a means to a delay. It’s a distraction,’ Dorow said.
Brooks was given one more opportunity to respond to the judge’s questions.
But he told the judge, ‘I don’t hear anything. I didn’t hear you ask me anything.’
Judge Dorow then told the jury that closing arguments will be held on Tuesday. Each side will be given one hour to present their arguments to the jury.
She then went over what Brooks can and cannot say during his closing arguments.
‘I need to preserve how he looks to this jury,’ she said. ‘I will need a very clear pledge by him that he will follow the rulings I make as it relates to the closing arguments. He cannot raise jury nullification. He cannot raise facts that are not part of the record.’
The evidence against Brooks is overwhelming and includes videos showing his red Ford Escape plowing through the parade and witnesses testifying they saw him behind the wheel. He would face multiple mandatory life sentences if convicted.
Brooks broke down in tears during his opening statement to the Jury in court last week
Brooks will certainly appeal any conviction, legal experts say, and his courtroom antics could be a ploy to frustrate Judge Jennifer Dorow into a misstep that would strengthen his case at that level. But they say Dorow has handled Brooks professionally and hasn’t given him much to work with on appeal.
Prosecutors allege that Brooks got into a fight Nov. 21 with his ex-girlfriend on the streets of Waukesha in suburban Milwaukee, fled the scene in his SUV and drove it into the parade. He plowed through groups, killing six people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injuring dozens of others, according to a criminal complaint.
He faces 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 61 counts of reckless endangerment. Each homicide count carries a mandatory life sentence. Each reckless endangerment count carries a maximum sentence of 17 1/2 years in prison.
Brooks initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease but withdrew the plea in September without explanation. Just days before his trial began on October 3, he dismissed his public defenders and elected to represent himself.
Brooks allegedly plowed through the crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha on November 21, 2021, killing six people between the ages of eight and 81, and injuring more than 60 people
Though Brooks elected to represent himself in his trial, his repeated interruptions, outbursts, and erratic behavior have led to him being removed from the courtroom and has led to Judge Jennifer Dorow (pictured) admitting she’s frightened of him
People representing themselves in civil matters is not uncommon. But it’s relatively rare for criminal defendants to act as their own attorneys and risk matching wits with trained, experienced prosecutors.
Dorow had little choice but to allow Brooks to represent himself, since he has that right under state law if he’s mentally competent. Dorow noted that psychologists found he has a personality disorder but is competent.
During the lead-up to jury selection, Brooks often engaged in shouting matches with Dorow, insisting that his name isn’t Darrell Brooks and that the state has no jurisdiction over him.
Things got so bad that she removed him from the courtroom several times and placed him in another room where he could watch the proceedings via video but she could mute his microphone if he became disruptive. One day, he stripped off his shirt and stuck a sign, given to him to signal objections, down his pants.
His behavior suggested painful cross-examinations with witnesses who had been hurt in the parade were on tap when testimony began. That hasn’t materialized; Brooks has been largely respectful of every witness. He has mostly reserved his ire for Dorow.
He has started most mornings demanding that she show him proof that the state has jurisdiction over him, resulting in Dorow and Brooks shouting at each other.
Dorow that Brooks was giving her a ‘stare-down’ which she called disrespectful and ‘frankly, makes me scared.’ Brooks continued to stare at the judge while banging his fists on the table
Each time anyone calls him by name, he interrupts to say he doesn’t recognize Darrell Brooks. He has objected to almost every question prosecutors have asked witnesses, only for Dorow to shut him down and move on as he demands explanations.
He can often be heard muttering under his breath that the trial is unfair, at times calling it ‘mind-boggling’ and griping to himself about how District Attorney Susan Opper pulls ‘slick’ tricks. His cross-examinations, while respectful, have been meandering.
At one point he asked to have the case dismissed, reasoning that the state of Wisconsin can’t physically testify and that only ‘a living human brain’ can bring a lawsuit.
On Friday, he said he couldn’t call a witness because he’d lost his file on that person. Dorow forced him to call the witness anyway, prompting Brooks to accuse her of violating her oath of office. Later that morning, he began screaming at her that she was treating his trial like a game.
‘Nothing about this is a joke. That’s what you don’t understand. It’s unfair. Your life is not on the line,’ he said. ‘I don’t care what you talking about.’
At one point, he fixed Dorow with an angry stare that, she told the court, frightened her so much she had to call a recess.
Though opening statements were delayed last month due to Brooks’s incessant outbursts
With his microphone muted at all times except when called on to speak or answer questions, Brooks could be seen wildly gesticulating in the other courtroom, arguing with court police, and holding up his objection sign to everything Judge Dorow said
Dorow often talks over Brooks, accusing him of trying to delay the trial, telling him to sit down and ordering him to stop talking.
But since testimony began, she has mostly opted to take short breaks rather than moving Brooks to an alternative courtroom. She often recites the number of times he has interrupted her, notes that she has given him every opportunity to remain in the courtroom and issues him warnings to behave. She has avoided giving him lengthy legal explanations defending her rulings.
‘To say that this has been the most challenging of my career would be an understatement,’ Dorow said Friday in court.
‘I’ve done my best, I believe, to be fair, to be unbiased, to protect the rights not only of Mr. Brooks as it relates to this trial, but those of witnesses, those of the victims, and of course, last but not least, the jurors. ‘
A first responder was seen examining the crime scene after Brooks allegedly drove through a crowd of people at high speeds during a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin
People gathered in Waukesha following the deadly incident which claimed the lives of six people and injured dozens of others
A stroller was left at the scene where more than 60 people were injured and six were left dead
The ages of the people killed ranged from 8 to 81 years old, and more than 60 other people were injured, including at least 18 children.
Brooks, who was out on bail from a domestic abuse charge at the time of the attack, faces life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.
The man has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 1999 when he was first arrested for aggravated battery and carrying a concealed weapon.
Since then, he’s had at least 15 other run ins with the law.
Brooks has been charged with obstructing an officer multiple times, possession of a controlled substance, paternity warrants, failure to appear in court, and other charges.
One of his most aggressive charges came in 2010 when he was accused of strangulation and suffocation, as well as domestic battery.
Hundreds of people witnessed the attack, several recording cellphone videos, some of whom are expected to be called to testify by prosecutors from the Waukesha County district attorney’s office.
The trial had been scheduled to last about a month, but Brooks’ decision to represent himself may prolong the process even as Dorow has warned him that the court will not tolerate deliberate acts of obstruction, the Journal Sentinel reported.
This week’s issues in court were not the first in this trial, however.
During an August 26 appearance, Brooks fell asleep several times, and then ranted at Dorow, WISN reported.
‘You sit up here and act like you know me,’ he said, as she stood with her arms folded.
‘People like you don’t know nothing about where I come from,’ he continued.
Brooks was also heard to say that he was ‘bored’ by proceedings, and raged at sheriff’s deputies as they led him out of court at Judge Dorow’s instructions.
The accused called the trial ‘political’ and continued to verbally batter the judge.
At one point, Brooks told Dorow that he didn’t want to be there and wanted to return to his cell.
Brooks pleaded not guilty in February.
In April, his attorneys, public defenders Anna Kees and Jeremy Perri, filed a motion seeking to push the proceedings back until at least March 2023.
The attorneys argued in the motion they need at least six months to study more than 300 videos of the parade, break down the SUV’s speed throughout the incident, review the police interrogation of Brooks and reach out to potential expert witnesses.
During a hearing in June, Brooks requested the changing his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.