Darrel Brooks Jr. is on trial Monday for the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack that left six people dead and dozens injured.
Brooks faces more than 70 criminal charges: six counts of first-degree intentional homicide with use of a dangerous weapon, 61 counts of recklessly endangering security with use of a dangerous weapon, six counts hit-and-run causing death and two counts of bail, all felonies; and two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence.
He will show up. Here’s what happened on the first day of the trial, which begins with jury selection.
Brooks was kicked out of the courtroom twice
After repeated disruptions, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow twice removed Brooks from the courtroom. Brooks was fired a second time after Dorow told him he was continuing to be disruptive, something he had already been warned about. In all, Dorow called six breaks in the proceedings between 8:30 a.m. and noon, not counting the two instances where Brooks had to be fired.
Dorow told Brooks that if the interruptions continued, she would appoint a lawyer for him to keep the trial on track. The trial is scheduled to take place from October 3 to 28.
Jury selection has finally begun and could take days
The jury selection process, sometimes called a voir dire, which includes hundreds of potential jurors, began around 2 p.m. Monday due to near-constant interruptions from Brooks.
Dorow said before the trial that the jury selection process could take a day or more, but it’s unclear if that deadline still stands. A total of 315 jurors are available for selection.
Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper previously said she expects prosecutors to take five to seven business days to present their case. There’s no indication how long it might take Brooks to plead his defense.
Before Brooks’ decision to waive his right to an attorney, it looked like the trial wouldn’t take the full four weeks. But experts say if Brooks is allowed to run again, it could slow down the process.
This story will be updated as the trial unfolds.
After:Here’s what you need to know about the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr. Waukesha Christmas Parade
After:A history of Waukesha Parade suspect Darrell Brooks’ interactions with law enforcement