A Wisconsin man will stand trial for murder after he allegedly ploughed through a Christmas parade in December that killed six and injured dozens of others, a court commissioner determined on Friday.
Darrell Brooks faces 77 charges in total, including six counts of homicide, multiple counts of reckless endangerment and more. He would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted of even one charge of homicide.
District Attorney Susan Opper called just one witness, police detective Thomas Casey. He testified that he and other officers yelled at Mr Brooks to stop as he drove an SUV through the parade in downtown Waukesha on November 21.
He described how the vehicle zig-zagged across the street for blocks, smashing into marchers from behind and running them over. He said Mr Brooks injured 61 people, including the six people he killed.
Mr Brooks’ attorney, public defender Anna Kees, argued he was high during the incident, noting that officers who arrested him noticed he smelled of marijuana and his eyes were red and glassy.
She maintained that he couldn’t turn off the parade route because the side streets were barricaded and full of spectators. She noted, too, that he told detectives that he didn’t mean to kill anyone and couldn’t bring himself to look when detectives showed him photos of the carnage.
Ms Opper countered that all Mr Brooks had to do was stop the vehicle and even if he was high on marijuana he still committed multiple crimes.
Mr Brooks sat quietly at the defence table in a red jail jumpsuit and surgical mask. He will appear for an arraignment on February 11 where he will enter a plea. He remains jailed on a $5 million cash bond.
Any possible motives remain unclear.
UAE%20ILT20
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Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching