US Man Who Crashed Christmas Parade Sentenced to Life Plus 1067 Years in Prison

Last November in Wisconsin: 6 Dead, About 60 Injured
Court: "Does Not Believe Mental Illness... No Regret or Sympathy"

Darel Brooks, who struck a Christmas parade procession with a car in Wisconsin, USA, last November, causing dozens of casualties, was sentenced to life imprisonment on the 16th (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A man who rammed a Christmas parade procession with a car in Wisconsin, USA last year, killing and injuring dozens, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

According to foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 16th (local time), Jennifer Dorow, judge of the Waukesha County Circuit Court, sentenced Darrell Brooks (40), who was found guilty last month on 76 charges including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, to life imprisonment without parole on the same day. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty. Along with the life sentence, Brooks received an additional 1,067 years in prison for 61 counts of reckless endangerment. When Judge Dorow handed down the life sentence, the courtroom audience applauded, expressing their approval of the verdict.

On November 21 last year, Brooks drove a red Ford Escape sport utility vehicle (SUV) at the annual Christmas parade event in Waukesha, about 25 km west of Milwaukee, crossing a police barricade and charging into the crowd. As a result, six people, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed and more than 60 were injured. Particularly heartbreaking was that among the deceased were three elderly members of the dance group 'Milwaukee Dancing Grannies.' Founded in 1984, the only membership requirement for this group is to be a grandmother with grandchildren. They performed at about 25 parades annually, bringing joy to audiences.

Just before the incident, Brooks had committed domestic violence by fighting with his ex-girlfriend and threatening her with a weapon, then drove out and committed this crime. It was reported that he drove recklessly for as many as seven blocks during the murderous rampage. Brooks pleaded for leniency, stating that he had suffered from mental illness since childhood and grew up in poverty and hunger without a father in an apartment infested with rats and bugs. Brooks’ mother and grandmother also testified that he had bipolar disorder since he was 12, which they claimed led him to drive into the parade. However, Judge Dorow said before sentencing, "I do not believe that he has a mental illness." Four psychologists who evaluated him earlier this year concluded that Brooks has antisocial personality disorder but not a mental illness. Judge Dorow judged, "It is very clear that he understands the difference between right and wrong and simply chose to ignore his conscience," adding, "Anger and rage are his fuel, and he has no capacity for remorse or empathy."

During the trial, Brooks frequently displayed violent and uncooperative behavior. Even in the disadvantageous situation where both of his two attorneys resigned and he had to represent himself ('self-representation'), he refused to state his name, often disrupted the judge, and talked only about himself. In response, the judge moved Brooks several times to another courtroom where he could attend the trial via video and muted his microphone.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.