Waukesha Christmas Parade Killer Sentenced to Life In Prison Without Parole

The man convicted of killing six people and injuring 61 others during the 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow Wednesday sentenced Darrell Brooks to six consecutive life sentences, without possibility of parole. Judge Dorow tacked more than 1,200 additional years on to his sentence for his other convictions.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel further reported:

For each life sentence given for the six deceased victims, the gallery, mainly consisting of victims of the tragedy, erupted into applause. While Dorow allowed the applause for those who died in the attack, she asked that they remain quiet for the rest of the sentencing. Despite the gallery’s applause, their faces remained somber, many sniffing back tears.

One day after loved ones and victims of the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy presented impact statements ahead of the sentencing of Brooks, Brooks himself spoke for more than two hours ahead of what was expected to be a life sentence.

More than 40 victims and family members of victims either took to the stand or submitted written statements, almost all directly addressing Brooks angrily and bluntly. Most also asked Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow to ensure Brooks would live out his life in prison, with some wishing him only pain for the lives he took or shattered.

Six people died and at least another 61 others were injured when a red Ford Escape SUV driven by Brooks tore through the holiday parade on Nov. 21, 2021. The attack left in its wake what police called a “chaotic” atmosphere as authorities and others scrambled to help victims over a four-block stretch.

Brooks, 40, of Milwaukee was convicted on Oct. 26 on all 76 criminal charges he faced in the parade attack trial: six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety, six counts of hit-and-run causing death, two counts of bail jumping and one misdemeanor count of battery.

Brooks’ 18-day trial represented the end of a long legal process that included dramatic shifts, beginning with charges filed two days after the parade and continuing with pretrial hearings just days before the trial began. The trial was replete with disruptions and delays from Brooks, who decided just days before the proceedings began that he would represent himself.