Darrell Brooks convicted of intimidating witness before Waukesha parade massacre

Lina Portman5 days ago

2 1 minute read

Darrell Brooks convicted of intimidating witness before Waukesha parade massacre

A Milwaukee County judge sentenced mass murderer Darrell Brooks to nine additional years in prison Thursday for a crime he committed days before the Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy.

Brooks, 42, pleaded not guilty in May to intimidation of a victim and recklessly endangering safety in the second degree, both class G felonies.

The charges stem from a Nov. 5, 2021, incident in which prosecutors say Brooks threatened, punched and crushed his then-girlfriend's leg at a Milwaukee gas station.

Brooks was brought to court Thursday for sentencing in a wheelchair, attached by a chain at his waist. Court officials said he was placed in the wheelchair as a court safety precaution, not because of any injury or illness.

After his arrest in the November case, Brooks repeatedly called the woman from jail, promising to marry her and start a family with her if she refused to cooperate with investigators, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson said.

Brooks also used his mother to deliver similar messages to further pressure the woman not to testify against him.

At some point, the content of the calls became more disturbing and threatening.

“He told her there were people on the street watching her,” Torbenson said.

The witness declined to appear in court Thursday to give a victim impact statement after several political ads referencing the Waukesha killings began airing on local television, Torbenson said.

Brooks' sentencing Thursday could be a moot point.

In 2022, a Waukesha County jury convicted him of driving an SUV during a Christmas parade in Waukesha. He was sentenced to six life sentences for the deaths of Tamara Durand, Wilhelm Hospel, Jane Kulich, Leanna Owen, Virginia Sorenson and Jackson Sparks. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 81.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Michelle A. Havas ordered the sentence to run consecutively to the sentence in the Waukesha parade case.

This is a developing story. Stay with jsonline.com for updates.

Lina Portman

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