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Attorneys representing Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade suspect Darrell Brooks Jr. have asked a judge to delay the October trial, arguing that they need six months to analyze hundreds of videos related to the tragedy.
Jeremy Perry and Anna Kees, the lawyers representing Brooks filed a motion with Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow on Friday seeking to push the proceedings back from the scheduled start date of Oct. 3. Brooks faces 83 charges, including six homicide counts. The 40-year-old career criminal is accused of driving his SUV through a crowd of revelers, killing six people – including a child – and hurting dozens more during the annual Waukesha Christmas parade on Nov. 21.
The defense team has argued that they need at least six months to study more than 300 videos and recordings of the parade, break down the SUV’s speed throughout the incident and review the police interrogation of Brooks. Prosecutors also haven’t turned over all their evidence to the defense team yet, they contend. Dorow scheduled a hearing on the request for Monday afternoon.
Darrell Brooks Jr., enters the Waukesha County Courthouse courtroom in Waukesha, Wis., on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Brooks Jr. is accused of killing six people and injuring more than 60 at the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year.
(Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
“The scale of this case is uniquely large and complex, considering the number of allegations and the volume of discovery,” Kees and Perri wrote in their motion. They added that “the inability or failure to provide sufficient time for counsel to properly prepare for the trial” could infringe on his constitutional rights.
The motion doesn’t suggest a new start date. Prosecutors have said they wouldn’t be available in November or December, which would mean any delay would mean a 2023 start date.
WAUKESHA SUSPECT DARRELL BROOKS PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO KILLING SIX AND INJURING MORE THAN 60
Kees and Perri have filed another motion seeking to either move the trial out of Waukesha County or bring in a jury from another county. They argue publicity surrounding the case has been so overwhelmingly negative that Brooks can’t get a fair trial in Waukesha.
The six victims killed in the Waukesha parade attack were identified as Jackson Sparks, 8; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; LeAnna Owen, 71; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Wilhelm, 81.
Brooks has remained behind bars at the Waukesha County Jail since he was ordered held on $5 million bail on Nov. 23, two days after the horror. He was originally charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide. A sixth count was added later. The half-dozen charges – each of which carries a life sentence if convicted – represent the six people who were killed.
The deceased victims were identified as Jackson Sparks, 8; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; LeAnna Owen, 71; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Wilhelm, 81.
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In December, Brooks told Fox News Digital he felt “dehumanized,” and like he was being “demonized.” He has pleaded not guilty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
