MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Court TV) — Convicted killer Darrell Brooks pleaded no contest moments before jury selection was set to begin in a trial unrelated to the Waukesha Christmas parade crash.
Darrell Brooks appears in court May 6, 2024. (Court TV)
Brooks was facing trial in Milwaukee on multiple charges, including battery and disorderly conduct. The charges are related to a Nov. 2021 domestic abuse incident. A criminal complaint accused Brooks of punching his then-girlfriend in the face and striking her with his SUV.
Brooks was also accused of witness intimidation for “manipulating” the victim into not cooperating with prosecutors, according to Scripps News Milwaukee.
Three weeks after the incident, Brooks drove his SUV through the Waukesha Christmas parade on Nov. 21. He killed six people and injured dozens more. A year later, he was sentenced to six life sentences plus an additional 762 years after being convicted of 76 charges.
Court TV’s Trial Archives | Deadly Parade Crash Trial (WI v. Darrell Brooks 2022)
Although Brooks represented himself during his murder trial, he was represented by Russell J.A. Jones in his Milwaukee case. Jones previously represented Eye Drops Murder Trial defendant Jessy Kurczewski at her sentencing in April.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin May 6. Before potential jurors were brought in, Brooks pleaded no contest to two charges: Felony intimidation of a victim and recklessly endangering safety. Six more charges were dismissed but read in, meaning they will be read at sentencing and the judge can consider them in issuing their sentence.
