Day 12 of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial: Brooks calls his first witness, gets removed from courtroom
WAUKESHA - Jurors on Tuesday got a first look at how Darrell Brooks Jr. intends to argue his defense in the ongoing trial tied to the November 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade attack.
Brooks, 40, of Milwaukee is representing himself and called his first witness Tuesday morning. Prosecutors have not yet concluded their case, but Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow allowed Brooks to call his witness out of order to accommodate the schedule of a Spanish translator who was required for the testimony.
Brooks is charged with 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, all felonies, and one count of misdemeanor battery.
Brooks was again removed from the courtroom for continued disruptions
Shortly after Brooks called his witness, parade participant Juan Marquez, Dorow ordered him to be removed to another courtroom for persistent interruptions, the first time she has done so in front of the jury.
Brooks was continually mumbling about "judicial misconduct" as prosecutors cross-examined Marquez and had previously argued with Dorow about court procedures before he was removed.
More: Here's what you need to know about the Darrell Brooks Jr. Waukesha Christmas Parade trial
Marquez testified he was marching with the Catholic Communities of Waukesha when he was struck from behind and thrown 15 to 20 feet. He said he suffered a broken leg and torn ligaments and never saw the vehicle that hit him.
Brooks tried to impeach Marquez by referring to a statement attributed to him in a police report, that he thought the vehicle that hit him was black instead of red, as many other witnesses have said.
After Marquez was dismissed, Dorow allowed Brooks to return to the courtroom for the continuation of Waukesha Detective Jay Carpenter's testimony.
Waukesha detective described recorded interview with Brooks the day after the parade attack
Carpenter's testimony took up the bulk of the day, continuing from late Monday. He testified in detail about his recorded, nearly five-hour interview with Brooks the day following the parade attack.
Clips of the interview were shown to the jury. Before the interview, Carpenter testified, investigators had identified Brooks as the primary suspect in the parade incident and heard reports linking him to a domestic abuse incident prior to the parade near Frame Park.
At first, the domestic violence incident and the parade weren't mentioned. Even for the first hour of the second-day interview, Carpenter focused on testing Brooks' veracity on simple questions about why and how he had come to Waukesha on Nov. 21.
Brooks said he came with a friend, who he wouldn't name, to watch the Packers game at that man's friend Stephanie's house. Brooks said he didn't know her last name or her address.
When Carpenter and his partner said they needed to step out to confer with their boss, Brooks pleaded with them, "I want to know what (charges) I'm looking at, so I can notify my girls." Detectives then told Brooks that his girlfriend had made allegations about an assault.
Detectives began addressing the parade by asking about the red SUV. Brooks refused to answer until he was told his specific charges, which detectives would not do. Carpenter testified he did not want to give specific details about the incident in order to gauge Brooks' truthfulness.
During the interrogation, Brooks periodically complained of shoulder pain from his arrest, groaning and asking for Tylenol. Carpenter testified that Brooks' pain "seemed and felt deceptive" and appeared to be a "stalling tactic."
"Mr. Brooks was still unwilling to explain to us, give us the clarity ... to understand and know why he did it," Carpenter testified.
Brooks never answered detectives about why he drove through the parade, Carpenter said.
Detective said he intentionally withheld information from Brooks
On cross-examination, Brooks asked Carpenter why detectives didn't immediately reveal their knowledge of the parade and questioned whether withholding such information is standard procedure.
Carpenter said it was as he was still receiving "chaotic and fluid" information regarding the incident.
"I wasn’t sure if you were the driver initially, but I did believe you were involved," Carpenter said.
“There is information I withheld from you, yes."
Prosecutors anticipated wrapping up their case Wednesday. It's unclear how long it could take for Brooks to present his own defense, but there are 11 other witnesses he plans to call.
Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Darrell Brooks Waukesha Christmas Parade trial takeaways for Day 12
