Chris Lieberman, FISM News
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Accused Waukesha Christmas parade killer Darrell Brooks Jr. gave a nearly hour-long rant at his trial on Thursday calling for his case to be dismissed, his latest outburst in a trial plagued by Brooks’ erratic behavior.
Brooks faces 76 charges, including 6 counts of first-degree intentional homicide, for allegedly driving his SUV through a Christmas parade on November 21, 2021, killing 6 and injuring dozens more. He initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental defect, but later changed his mind, fired his public defenders, and chose to represent himself.
In a 50-minute tirade on Thursday, the ninth day of the trial, Brooks aired a number of grievances, arguing that the case should be dismissed. Among his complaints was the fact that the plaintiff, the state of Wisconsin, was not present in the courtroom.
“I have the right to face my accuser, which would be the plaintiff, the state of Wisconsin in this matter,” said Brooks. “A living human being can only make a claim. An entity cannot make a claim.”
Waukesha massacre suspect Darrell Brooks is asking for his case to be dismissed because the victims are not present in court. pic.twitter.com/rmERQDZ1NK
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 13, 2022
Brooks also objected to the trial taking place in Waukesha County, claiming that he could not expect to receive an impartial jury. “There’s no possible way anyone in this county would not have some type of connection … knowledge. The news reporting alone — just that alone — there’s no way that this trial should be taking place in Waukesha County,” he said.
Judge Jennifer Dorow dismissed his arguments and noted that the court went through a vigorous jury-vetting process to conduct a fair trial.
Thursday’s outburst was just the latest episode in what has been a chaotic trial. Brooks has repeatedly interrupted the judge and has been thrown out of the courtroom on a number of occasions due to his outburst. After being removed from the courtroom last Thursday and placed in an adjacent room on camera, Brooks removed his shirt and turned his back to the camera, threatening to break and throw objects in the room.
While cross-examining, a responsibility Brooks has taken on while representing himself, Brooks has repeatedly belittled and interrupted witnesses.
Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper, who leads the prosecution, said of Brooks’ antics that, “He has an agenda here. It’s to stall, delay, disrupt, intimidate, and it’s not going to work.”
Brooks’ behavior has caused some to question Dorow’s pre-trial decision to deem Brooks, who may be severely mentally ill, fit to represent himself.
“It’s really going to be a challenging trial for the witnesses,” Wisconsin-based criminal defense attorney Tom Grieve told the New York Post before the trial. “You have a defendant who feels like he has nothing to lose. He’s going to try to make as big a mess as possible and force a fumble by the prosecutors or judge and try to force a mistrial or build an appeal.”
The state says that they intend to rest its case on Monday. Brooks will then begin his defense and says he plans to call at least 12 witnesses.
Prior to the Waukesha massacre, Brooks had a 50-page rap sheet going back to 1999. He has a history of violence against women and family members, and just two days before the Christmas parade attack, he had been released on $1,000 bail for allegedly beating up his ex-girlfriend, destroying her phone, and running her over with the same SUV used in the parade.