Waukesha parade killer Darrell Brooks pleads no contest to victim intimidation
Chris RamirezMass killer Darrell Brooks on Monday conceded prosecutors had enough evidence to prove his guilt in another violent crime he was involved in before committing the Waukesha parade tragedy.
Brooks, 42, appeared in a Milwaukee County courtroom and pleaded no contest to intimidating a victim and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, both class-G felonies.
What did Darrell Brooks say in court?
"Yes, your honor," Brooks answered repeatedly in a calm voice from a wheelchair when asked a series of questions by Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Michelle A. Havas.
The judge accepted the pleas on what was supposed to have been the first day of his trial.
“No contest” is a plea that allows a defendant to accept conviction without admitting guilt.
Brooks also faced other charges, including intimidation of a witness, bail jumping and disorderly conduct. They were dismissed, but will be read into the court record when he is sentenced Aug. 16.
The charges all stemmed from a Nov. 5 2021 incident during which prosecutors say Brooks threatened, punched and drove over the leg of an ex-girlfriend during an argument at a gas station in Milwaukee.
Sixteen days later, police say Brooks became involved in a "domestic disturbance" and then drove through the Waukesha Christmas Parade route, killing six people and seriously injuring dozens of others.
Brooks showed a calmer demeanor
Brooks appeared in court in a wheelchair, while wearing a blue plaid shirt and pants, his hair grown out and braided. Court officials said he was placed in the wheelchair as a court security measure, not because of an injury or illness.
His 18-day trial, in Waukesha County, became a spectacle for his outbursts and tirades, many of them directed at Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow.
A jury convicted him in 2022 of driving an SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha. He was sentenced to six life terms in the deaths of Tamara Durand, Wilhelm Hospel, Jane Kulich, Leanna Owen, Virginia Sorenson and Jackson Sparks.
The victims ranged in age from 8 to 81.
Darrell Brooks has been in court several times since the Waukesha tragedy
In July, Brooks also pleaded guilty in Milwaukee County to a gun charge unrelated to the intimidation case and the parade crash.
Havas met on Friday with Brooks, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson and defense lawyer Russell Jones, and acknowledged the very real challenge of seating a jury, given the high profile and notoriety of Brooks' previous crime.
"That's going to be the biggest hurdle here," Havas said at the time.
Lawyers at one point weighed the prospect of pleading their case before only the judge in a court trial as as option.
More:A history of Waukesha parade suspect Darrell Brooks' criminal record