The trial of Waukesha Christmas parade attacker Darrell Brooks is set to wrap up this week, in spite of the defendant’s attempts to delay justice with constant, obscene outbursts.
Things came to a head on Friday when Brooks banged his fist and began staring down judge Jennifer Dorow, who said Brooks was making her frightened.
Waukesha attacker stares down judge
Dorow called a break, just one of many throughout a trial that Brooks has turned into an agonizing circus with incessant back talk.
“This man right now is having a stare down with me. It’s very disrespectful. He pounded his fist. Frankly, it makes me scared,” the judge said.
Brooks slams his fist and stares down Judge Dorow, prompting her to call a break citing she is now scared of Brooks. pic.twitter.com/K4nrP3VfkD
— Shane B. Murphy (@shanermurph) October 21, 2022
Brooks killed six people, including a child, and injured dozens when he rammed his red SUV into a crowd of Christmas revelers last November in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He faces life in prison.
In a tearful opening statement, Brooks, who is representing himself, said there were “two sides” to the story and complained he was being painted as a “monster.”
Trial wrapping up
The judge was forced to chastise Brooks again Friday when he began badgering his own witness, who testified that she saw Brooks ram his car into the crowd.
“You can’t be serious now? What have I done to intimidate the witness?” Brooks told Dorow. “How are you even a judge?”
The judge called Friday “a rough day, to say the least” and said that Brooks’ tantrums made the case her most challenging in all her time on the bench.
When the trial briefly resumed Monday, Brooks had been expected to continue his farcical defense. But Dorow ruled that Brooks forfeited his right to call further witnesses after he continued to act out and ignored the judge’s questions. As the jury was excused for the day, Brooks threw his jury instructions in the trash can and hid behind a pile of boxes.
It’s doubtful that Brooks’ disgusting antics are winning him many points with the jury. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.