The Waukesha Christmas parade killer, Darrell Brooks, was given six consecutive life sentences and 700 additional years of imprisonment for the incident that resulted in the death of six people and the injury of dozens of others.
On Wednesday, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow formally sentenced the defendant to consecutive life sentences for first-degree intentional homicide, with no chance of parole. The incident resulted in the deaths of Tamara Durand, William Hospel, Jane Kulich, Leanna Owen, Virginia Sorenson, and Jackson Sparks.
Six Consecutive Life Sentences
Dorow also sentenced the convict to 17 and a half years for each of the 61 counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. This means that Brooks got a total of 762 years of initial confinement and 305 years of extended supervision. This includes 25 years for each of the six hit-and-run counts running concurrent to the reckless endangerment charges.
All in all, Brooks was sentenced to more than 1,200 years of imprisonment, including extended supervision. For each of the life sentences given to the deceased victims, the gallery, which mainly consisted of victims of the tragedy, burst into applause following Dorow's ruling, as per JSOnline.
While the judge allowed some time for the applause, she asked that they remain quiet for the rest of the sentencing. Even while giving their applause, the gallery's facial expressions remained somber, with many holding back their tears.
Brooks himself spoke for more than two hours ahead of what was expected to be a life sentence a day before loved ones and victims of the incident presented impact statements. There were more than 40 victims and family members of victims who either took the stand or submitted written statements to the court, nearly all of which addressed the defendant angrily and bluntly.
According to CNN, the recent sentencing came after last month when Brooks was found guilty by a jury on all 76 counts that stemmed from his 2021 attack. Judge Dorow told the 40-year-old defendant that he had no remorse for anything that he did or any empathy for anyone.
Waukesha Christmas Parade Incident
When he spoke, Brooks said that there was a question that he struggled with himself, the why and how. In the entirety of the hearing, the defendant only apologized once to the victims and the community of Waukesha, saying that no one can see the remorse that he feels over the incident.
The judge also spoke at length about the defendant's mental health, which was a topic that his family members spoke about during the hearing. Dorow said that mental health issues were not the cause of the incident and were not a factor in the crime.
On Tuesday, prosecutors asked Judge Dorow to sentence the defendant to the maximum sentence for all convictions that stemmed from the horrific crime. In a statement, Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said that Brooks deserves the absolute maximum sentence on all counts, consecutive.
Brooks also acknowledged that he, at times, became frustrated during the trial, adding that regardless of what the court and trial attendees felt about his behavior, they were not personal. He also spoke negatively about Opper, who he said he was frustrated with as well, Fox News reported.
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