Darrell Brooks found guilty of driving SUV into Christmas parade and killing six

A Wisconsin man was found guilty of 76 charges on Wednesday after driving his SUV into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin last November, killing six people and injuring several others. 

Darell Brooks, 40, is facing six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, six counts of fatal hit and run, two counts of felony bail jumping, and one count of misdemeanor domestic battery. 

Brooks is facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison for his charges. 

Last November, Brooks drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha on November 21, striking 68 parade-goers, and killing an 8-year-old boy and several members of the “Dancing Grannies” dance group. 

In their closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors said that Brooks intentionally drove through the crowd at high speeds. 

“He reached speeds of approximately 30 mph. That’s intentional. He plowed through 68 different people. 68. How can you hit one and keep going? How can you hit two and keep going?” Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said.

“His intent I do have to prove, and I submit without any doubt there’s overwhelming evidence that this was an intentional act by Darrell Brooks and an act of utter disregard for human life,” she added.

In his closing arguments, Books kept saying that there had been many “misconceptions” and “lies” told about him during the trial. He said he sounded the vehicle’s horn several times in an attempt to get people to move out of the way. 

“I’ve never heard of someone trying to intentionally hurt someone while attempting to blow their horn while attempting to alert people of their presence,” Brooks said.

Two weeks before the incident, Brooks had been released from jail on a $1,000 bail after being arrested for domestic abuse. According to court documents, Brooks allegedly ran over a woman who claims to be the mother of his child.