WAUKESHA, Wis. — Now that Darrell Brooks has been convicted of all 76 counts including homicide in the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack, what happens next?
For now, the court has scheduled a hearing at 1 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2022 to set up exactly that. They will eventually schedule a sentencing hearing, when the judge will hand a sentence down according to the crimes convicted.
A 12-person jury found Brooks guilty on all 76 counts, including six counts of 1st-degree intentional homicide and 61 counts of felony reckless endangerment. Each homicide count carries a mandatory life sentence. Even if Brooks was not found guilty on the homicide counts, the lesser charges could still bring a life sentence.
The jury deliberated for about three hours and 15 minutes before telling the court they had reached a verdict.
Wisconsin does not have the death penalty so the sentence will not include that.
Brooks has the opportunity to appeal the convictions. If Brooks were to try, he would have to file a notice of appeal with the clerk of the Waukesha County Court. The average time for the appeal process - from filing to the Wisconsin Court of Appeal's decision - is about 10 months, according to the website for Wisconsin courts.
Prosecutors argued Brooks turned his red SUV into the parade on Nov. 21, 2021 after fleeing a fight with his ex-girlfriend. That's despite warnings from police to stop and officers opening fire on him, though no squad cars were pursuing him at the time.
Six people were killed in the parade attack including the 8-year-old boy Jackson Sparks. Sparks was walking with his baseball team in the parade. Three members of the Dancing Grannies, who march in local parades, were also killed.