Crime & Safety

Lawyers Want Darrell Brooks Jr. Tried Outside Waukesha: Reports

Attorneys for Brooks asked a judge to push the trial date to 2023 and questioned if he could be tried in the affected community.

Lawyers for Darrell Brooks Jr. asked to move the trial outside of Waukesha, where Brooks is accused of driving through a crowd and killing six people at a Christmas parade.
Lawyers for Darrell Brooks Jr. asked to move the trial outside of Waukesha, where Brooks is accused of driving through a crowd and killing six people at a Christmas parade. (Derek Johnson/AP)

WAUKESHA, WI — Lawyers for the man accused of driving his SUV through a crowd and killing six in a Waukesha Christmas parade said they wanted his trial moved outside of the community where the tragedy happened, according to multiple reports.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow gave Brooks' lawyers a deadline until Friday to postpone the trial to 2023, Fox6 Milwaukee reported. Currently, Brooks is expected in court in Oct. 3.

Brooks was charged with multiple counts, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 60 counts of recklessly endangering safety on Nov. 21.

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Defenders and prosecutors put together a questionnaire which included questions for jurors who knew someone affected or were personally affected, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Nearly 100 victims and nearly 1,000 witnesses at parade were identified, Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper told Wisconsin Public Radio.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Defenders said that the trial should be moved if the community was prejudiced against Brooks after being the center of news coverage, The Waukesha Freeman reported.

In a previous hearing, the judge said she had worked with the father of one of the parade victims, but the two no longer had a relationship.

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