Day 7 of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial: 'I still to this day don't know what happened to my daughter,' victim testifies

Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·6 min read
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WAUKESHA - The seventh day of the 76-count criminal trial of Darrell Brooks, accused in the deaths and injuries in the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy, featured numerous state witnesses and emotional testimony on Tuesday.

Brooks, 40, 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.

Here's what happened today.

More: Has Darrell Brooks' behavior set Waukesha parade attack trial on path to reversal?

More: A history of Waukesha parade suspect Darrell Brooks' interactions with law enforcement

Parade victims testified about their experiences

As on Monday, the witnesses called by prosecutors were people who were involved in some way with the Nov. 21, 2021, parade.

The day's first witness, Kelly Grabow, an employee with Burris Logistics, and her daughter, Adelia Maffiola, were among those struck. Adelia was found buried under rubble left behind after the red SUV drove through the parade route in front of Bosco's Social Club on Main Street.

Kelly Grabow, who was walking in the parade with her daughter when they were struck, talks about the injuries her daughter suffered as she testifies as Darrell Brooks appears in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during his trial in Waukesha, Wis., on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

Grabow sustained a leg injury, bruising and road rash, but her daughter sustained "massive bruising, a broken hand" and other injuries, she testified. Grabow said she ignored her own pain and ran to find her daughter, who she last saw walking back to a sidewalk to hand out more candy. The girl was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

"I still to this day don't know what happened to my daughter. I just knew she was on the ground" after the SUV was gone, she added later.

On cross examination, Brooks, who was dressed in a grey suit, asked her if she saw the driver. She had not.

Prior to the testimony, Brooks again tried to challenge the jurisdiction of the court, as he has done throughout the proceedings. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow rejected his arguments, saying they "have all been debunked throughout the ages."

Waukesha Blazers president testifies about boy's death and other injuries

President of the Waukesha Blazers Jeff Rogers took the stand after Grabow. His parade group included 8-year-old Jackson Sparks who died two days after he was struck by the SUV.

Sparks, along with his brother Tucker, were marching with other members of the youth baseball organization.

Rogers testified that he scrambled to find the young team members after the red SUV drove through the parade, moving some of the injured into the rear of the truck.

"My first reaction was to grab (my daughter) Maya," Roger said. His son Cayden and daughter Rylee were among the injured, as was Tucker Sparks and Josh Kraner.

A video is show as Jeff Rogers, president of the Waukesha Blazers Youth Baseball Program is circled, who was walking in the parade with his children and baseball team, including 8-year-old Jackson Sparks who was killed in the parade, just before the SUV hits their team as he testifies as Darrell Brooks appears in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during his trial in Waukesha, Wis., on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

He spotted Jackson Sparks who "was motionless on the ground." He knew Jackson was badly injured, and later discovered the boy died.

Joshua Kraner, Waukesha Blazers, head coach of the 9-year-old baseball team, also testified about the impact on the team.

“I heard screaming,” he testified. “Horrific. I turned around to look at what was going on. I saw a red SUV… and people jumping to get out of the way.”

As he was looking to spot his son, he was knocked to the ground by the SUV, sustaining muscle contusions and bone bruises that resulted in hospitalization.

Xtreme Dance Group members offer tearful testimony

A witness for the Xtreme Dance Group, whose members represented 15 of injured participants, broke down in tears repeatedly during her testimony.

Alyssa Gejewski described how the dancers, consisting of various age groups, marched along unaware of the approaching SUV.

She began sobbing while viewing video the SUV driving through the group.

Assistant District Attorney Zach Wittchow asked her to identify the victims name by name, asking questions about their injuries, some of which she saw suffering while awaiting emergency treatment at ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital.

On cross exam from Brooks, Gejewski said she was able to see the make and model of the vehicle, a Ford Escape, but could not see the driver. She personally was not struck, but she did see victims in the SUV's path, though not necessarily as they were struck. Gejewski testified she "blacked out" for several seconds, overwhelmed by what was happening around her.

Jaimie Sutton, another team leader, testified she was standing toward the back of the group when the SUV drove through the group.

"I heard some yelling behind me, some screaming, so I looked over my left shoulder," Sutton recalled. "Just as I looked over, I see the vehicle hitting some of our girls."

On cross examination, she recalled telling investigators that she thought there might have been something wrong with the vehicle "because of the speed it was going. It was very fast," she said.

Detective testifies about SUV's speed

Mike Carpenter, a detective with the Waukesha Police Department for 12 years, testified about how fast the SUV was traveling as it rode through the parade route.

Based on video footage, and computer analysis and 3-D imaging, Carpenter and his team calculated the red SUV was moving between 33.7 to 34.6 mph over a 41.8-foot range along that section on West Main Street.

Brooks, in cross examination, focused on what variables might make Carpenter's calculations incorrect. "So there sometimes can be miscalculations?" Brooks asked.

Carpenter said even though it was his first time using some of the technology, he was confident with the results.

Victim describes her 'shock'

Debora Ramirez, who was at the parade with her boyfriend, their four children and her father.

She and one of the children, Isaac Foglia Ramirez were struck, a tire ran over her left foot and Isaac on one leg.

"I was disoriented at first. ... Looking around me, I remember seeing a lot of people on the ground," she said.

She delayed treatment for their injuries after considering how others were in need of more immediate care. "I was able to see how much blood was on the ground at that time," Ramirez said.

She also didn't report the incident to police immediately, explaining: "I was in shock. ... Basically, a mental breakdown. I did not think of anything else."

Brooks plans to call 12 witnesses in his defense

Brooks, who was ordered to submit a witness list by Monday morning, had filed 12 subpoenas for witnesses. Those witnesses will include his ex-girlfriend and at least one Waukesha police officer.

Darrell Brooks appears looks down as a video is show of the SUV as its driven into the Waukesha Blazers Youth Baseball team which included 8-year-old Jackson Sparks who was killed in the parade, in a Waukesha County Circuit Court during his trial in Waukesha, Wis., on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Brooks, who is representing himself during the trial, is charged with driving into the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

It's unknown if any of the witnesses will focus on the legal arguments he has made since the start of the trial.

The trial was expected to continue Wednesday with testimony requiring a Spanish interpreter. The witness, Juan Marquez, is being called by Brooks and will testify out of order. He is associated with Catholic Communities of Waukesha.

Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Takeaways from Day 7 of Darrell Brooks Waukesha Christmas Parade trial