Day 9 of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack trial: Milwaukee Dancing Grannies member testifies 'I thought I was in a war'
WAUKESHA - On day 9 of the criminal trial of Darrell Brooks, accused in the deaths and injuries in the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade attack, a witness from the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies testified, and Brooks claimed his right to a fair trial had been violated.
Brooks, 40, who is representing himself in court, 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.
Prosecutors have said they could wrap up their case on Monday. It's unclear how long Brooks will take to argue his defense, but he plans to call at least 12 witnesses to the stand.
'We were like sisters': Milwaukee Dancing Grannies member testifies
Prosecutors on Thursday morning called Laura Thein, an eight-year member of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, to testify. Thein performed in the parade but was not struck by the vehicle.
“We were like sisters,” Thein said of the Dancing Grannies. “We were a sisterhood."
Members Virginia "Ginny" Sorenson, Leanna "Lee" Owen and Tamara Durand died in the parade after being hit by the SUV as they performed along the parade route.
As she danced, Thein said she could see a red streak flash by as the car drove past her from behind. She testified that she did not witness anyone get hit by the vehicle as it "happened in a matter of seconds."
“I thought I was in a war because there were just so many (bodies)," Thein said of the aftermath.
On cross examination, Brooks asked Thein if she had seen the car's license plate. She had not.
Brooks also objected to many of the prosecutor's questions and repeatedly asked Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow to specify why his objections were overruled.
Brooks says his sixth amendment rights are 'being trampled over'
Later in the morning, Brooks argued for about an hour that his sixth amendment rights are being violated in the trial.
Brooks said he has not received requested documents, such as certification of prosecutors' licenses to practice law and an affidavit proving Dorow's oath of office.
“I’m basically sitting here confused because I don’t understand why these proceedings are allowed to continue," Brooks said.
Dorow has shown bias against him, Brooks said, because he has not received requested documents and was expected to be prepared for trial in three days. The week before the trial began Brooks waived his right to an attorney.
"You swore to protect the constitution," Brooks told Dorow. "You swore to protect the people. That’s not being done here."
He also argued, as his former defense attorneys had, that the trial should not take place in Waukesha because there are too many unavoidable conflicts of interest.
Dorow previously ruled the trial would remain in Waukesha County and instituted an extensive juror screening process — including a long questionnaire — that she said would ensure a fair trial.
Mother of 10-year-old who recorded SUV hitting Dancing Grannies testifies
Prosecutors before the lunch break called Hope Evans-Jansen, parade witness and the mother of a 10-year-old girl who recorded when the SUV hit the Dancing Grannies, to testify.
Evans-Jansen flinched upon re-watching the iPhone video in court. She said she had given it to police and had not posted it on social media.
Brooks asked Evans-Jansen during cross examination if she could see any other passengers inside the UV, and whether the windows were tinted. She did not recall.
Forensic trooper testifies about SUV speed
Michael Smith, a veteran forensic reconstructionist with the Wisconsin State Patrol, testified he concluded through analysis the SUV was traveling at an average speed of 32 mph over a 101-foot stretch of road between Couri Insurance and the Maple Street intersection at Main Street.
On cross examination, Brooks questioned technical details of the analysis process, ultimately focusing on the reliability of the conclusions.
"It's all very accurate," Smith said.
Medical examiners discuss six autopsies
Two county medical examiners provided details of the causes of deaths of the parade victims. Their reports, conducted between Nov. 22-27, included diagrams of the injuries, which were shown to the jury.
Dr. Amy Sheil, an associate medical examiner in Waukesha County, testified about the causes of the death of Owen, Sorensen and Jackson Sparks. The causes of death of Tamara Durand, Jane Kulich and Wilhelm Hospel were detailed by Dr. Lynda Biedrzycki, Waukesha County medical examiner.
The causes of death varied, Sheil and Biedrzycki said, from multiple blunt force trauma and brain swelling to pelvic and skull fractures.
During her testimony, Sheil's voice broke as she fought back tears while describing Sparks' death. He was 8 years old.
Pastor testifies about group in which 19 were injured
The Rev. Matthew Widder, who serves as a pastor of four Catholic parishes in Waukesha, testified about his experience walking in the parade as part of the Catholic Communities of Waukesha, the last group struck by the SUV. In all, 19 members of the group were injured.
Widder said he twice heard a thumping noise, which he soon realized was from people who were struck by the red SUV, including some in his group.
"I saw an SUV flying by, ... going faster than anyone in their right mind would be driving," Widder said.
WPD officer in Catholic group discusses injuries to his sons
Lucas Hallmark, a Waukesha police officer who was not on duty as he marched among the Catholic Communities of Waukesha group, testified about injuries his sons and others in the group suffered.
"I recall the vehicle coming right at where we were walking," Hallmark said. "I recall it starting to hit our people. ... I remember realizing we were going to be hit. So I threw our 3-year-old son (Benjamin) toward the curb."
Hallmark's 9-year-old son, Elliott, was injured when the SUV drove through the group, Lucas Hallmark said.
"It was chaos in downtown Waukesha," he said.
Day 8 of trial: Tornado warnings end the proceedings early
Day 7 of trial: 'I still to this day don't know what happened to my daughter,' victim testifies
Day 6 of trial: Darrell Brooks offers apology in return to court
This story will be updated throughout the day.
Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.
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: Darrell Brooks Waukesha Christmas Parade trial takeaways from Day 9
