Day 13 of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial: Jurors view infamous SUV, Brooks says Dorow can't 'tell him what to do'

WAUKESHA - Jurors on Wednesday viewed the red Ford Escape allegedly driven by Darrell Brooks Jr. through the city's 2021 Christmas Parade as part of the monthlong homicide and reckless endangerment trial tied to the incident, and Brooks again verbally sparred with Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow who threatened to remove him from the courtroom.

Brooks, 40, of Milwaukee 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 in connection to the parade tragedy, and one count of misdemeanor battery.

Prosecutors previously said they intended to rest their case Wednesday but had one remaining witness to call when Dorow concluded the proceedings. It's unclear how long it might take Brooks to present his own defense, but the trial is scheduled to last until Oct. 28.

Here's what happened on Day 13 of the trial:

Despite his initial objection, Brooks viewed SUV with the jury

Brooks, who is representing himself, began the day by questioning the relevancy of jurors examining the SUV, which police have said was registered in his mother's name, and repeatedly asked how the jury would be allowed to do so without his consent.

“You not going there is not going to prevent it from happening,” Dorow replied.

Despite initially wavering on whether he would attend the viewing, Brooks ultimately joined the jury when they saw the SUV, which was parked in a garage attached to the Waukesha County Courthouse. Members of the media were not allowed to participate in the viewing.

COVID precautions ramped up after two jurors test positive

Since Monday, two jurors have been removed from court due to COVID-19 concerns, Dorow announced before testimony began. The juror removed on Monday has returned to court, and one remains absent. The remaining jurors indicated that they did not have any COVID-19 concerns.

Two new air purifiers have been added to the courtroom "out of an abundance of caution," Dorow said.

Waukesha residents' security cameras captured evidence the night of the parade

In the morning, Waukesha residents Robert Stone II and Leonard Miller testified that their external home security cameras captured footage of Brooks passing through their properties following the parade incident the night of Nov. 21, 2021. In the days after the parade tragedy, they turned that footage over to police.

A third witness, Steven Schlomann, the IT director for the Waukesha School District, also testified security cameras on the district's administration building, at 222 Maple Ave., captured footage of Brooks.

Waukesha detective detailed where Brooks went after reportedly leaving the parade route

Warrant Specialist Kyle Becker presented a sweatshirt and sandals he said belonged to Brooks that were found after the parade in two different locations. Detective Justin Rowe reviewed photos and clips of security camera footage that had been admitted into evidence Wednesday morning, as well as a map outlining what he said depicted where Brooks went after driving away from the parade route. The map also summarized the people Brooks reportedly interacted with prior to his arrest that night.

During cross-examination, Brooks asked why Rowe kept turning to the jury while responding to Brooks' questions.

"I’m here to present my case to jury," Rowe replied.

Jurors saw those recordings in the afternoon after they viewed the SUV.

There was nothing that would have interfered with the SUV's ability to steer, accelerate or brake, mechanic testifies

Ryan Schultz, mechanical inspector for the Wisconsin State Patrol, examined the red Ford Escape after the parade incident. He testified he did not find any problems with it that could have interfered with the vehicle's ability to steer, accelerate and or brake.

Schultz confirmed hearing a high-pitched "revving" sound, as some witnesses reported to hear from the vehicle, was possible.

"There’s a lot of different things that could cause that," he said. "Could be heavy acceleration, could be noise that is amplified because the engine bay is open to the exterior, could be exhaust-related."

Investigators later found an exhaust muffler on a Waukesha resident's property. Schultz testified he could not find a muffler upon inspecting the SUV.

Brooks continues to criticize trial; Dorow threatened to remove him from court

Dorow threatened to remove Brooks from the courtroom during the testimony of Chris Johnson, chief of the office of crimes scene response, who discussed collecting physical evidence from the SUV.

As Johnson read from a report he authored about paperwork found inside the SUV, Brooks interjected to say he had not been notified of the report and did not know when it had been placed in front of Johnson.

In response, Dorow paused Johnson's testimony and removed the jury. Brooks' interruptions, along with continual mumbling under his breath and his apparent inability to accept her rulings, needed to stop or he would be removed from the court, she said.

"Frankly, from my perspective, sir, your attempts and your comments are to dig in at this jury and to somehow create doubt," Dorow said.

Brooks became defensive when Dorow advised him to be quiet so the jury could return, arguing that no one would tell him what to do. “You’re making a record of incorrect statements,” Brooks said.

DNA from physical evidence matches Brooks', forensic scientist says

DNA recovered from the SUV, a hat and sweatshirt found by investigators and linked to the incident matched Brooks', said Trevor Naleid, DNA analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, during his testimony.

Some DNA taken from evidence indicated a mixture of Brooks and one or two other unknown sources. However, Naleid said, that hair found on the sweatshirt was only from one source — Brooks.

Brooks told Dorow he planned to call his remaining witnesses Thursday and Friday following his opening statement.

Day 12 of trialBrooks calls his first witness, gets removed from courtroom

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 Day 13