WAUKESHA (Wisconsin, US), Nov 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Wisconsin judge has sentenced a man who killed six people and injured 62 by driving through a Christmas parade last year to life in prison.
A jury convicted Darrell Brooks last month after prosecutors argued he had shown “utter disregard for human life”.
The court also heard emotional testimony from dozens of survivors and families of victims during sentencing.
Brooks represented himself in the four-week trial, often interrupting court proceedings.
In her sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Jennifer Dorow said Brooks had chosen “a path of evil”.
She ordered him to serve six life sentences – one for each murder victim – and symbolically added another 1,067 years in jail for his other crimes.
The judge said that he was “fuelled by anger and rage” and that his case was an example of when “evil people do bad things”.
The killings took place at an annual Christmas parade in the city of Waukesha on Nov 21, 2021 when the attacker sped down the road in his red SUV.
Among the victims of the deadly attack were marching school band members and a dance troupe of Wisconsin grandmothers.
Survivors said the attack left them suffering from PTSD, recurring nightmares and lasting physical injuries.
The killer, a native of nearby Milwaukee, had just had a domestic incident with his ex-girlfriend when he drove through the parade.
He was convicted of 76 charges, including homicide, hit and run, bail jumping and battery.
Before his conviction, he wept and told the jury he did not intentionally run over parade-goers, saying that his “conscience is clear”. He added during his sentencing that he has “repented and asked God for forgiveness”.
He initially pleaded not guilty on grounds of mental illness, but later withdrew the plea without explanation. — NNN-AGENCIES
