Waukesha Parade Deaths: Brooks To Appear In Court This Week

WAUKESHA, WI — The man charged in the deaths of six people at the Waukesha's Christmas parade in November will appear for an arraignment Friday.

Darrell Brooks Jr., 39, was bound over for trial in January during a preliminary hearing in Waukesha County Circuit Court. Court Commissioner Kevin M. Costello found probable cause to order a trial for Brooks, who is charged with six counts of first-degree intentional homicide.

Brooks remains in custody on $5 million cash bail.

The criminal complaint was later amended to include 71 new charges against Brooks. The new and existing charges, according to online court records, include:

• First-degree intentional homicide (six counts)

• First-degree recklessly endangering safety (61 counts)

• Hit and run-resulting in death (six counts)

• Felony bail jumping (two counts)

• Misdemeanor battery (two counts)

According to prosecutors, Brooks plowed his red SUV into spectators at a Nov. 21 Christmas parade in downtown Waukesha.

Jackson Sparks, 8, was the youngest victim to die from the violence. Five others — Virginia Sorenson, 79, LeAnna Owen, 71, Tamara Durand, 52, Jane Kulich, 52, and Wilhelm Hospel, 81 — were also killed. More than 60 people were injured, including children.

Waukesha Detective Thomas Casey, the lead investigator in the case, testified in the preliminary hearing that investigators had gathered 65 videos from parade witnesses and city cameras showing what happened that day.

Parade participants had filled both White Rock and East Main avenues along the parade route when the scene turned deadly. Paradegoers were spread apart when a red Ford Escape sped southbound on White Rock Avenue, striking numerous pedestrians, parade participants and spectators, according to witness testimony and the criminal complaint. Others jumped out of the way of the SUV, barely escaping injury.

An officer present testified that the SUV appeared to move intentionally side to side, striking multiple people, as bodies and objects flew in the air.

Another officer shot at and struck the car three times in an effort to stop it, according to the criminal complaint.

At no point did Brooks stop or return to the scene to check on any of the people he is accused of running down, Casey testified.

Brooks was taken into custody the same day in the 500 block of Elizabeth Street. During a police interrogation, Casey said, he refused to look at pictures or videos of the parade incident, but told officers, "I didn't mean to kill nobody."

Officials did not find a defect in the SUV that would render it unable to stop or decelerate, Casey testified.