WAUKESHA — New details in the case against Darrell Brooks. Lawyers for the man accused of driving his car through the Waukesha Christmas Parade are fighting for certain evidence to be thrown out ahead of his trial in October.
Two Waukesha police detectives who conducted the first interviews with him took the stand Thursday.
Detective Jay Carpenter says he read Brooks his Miranda rights and didn't ask any questions after Brooks told him he was not willing to talk.
"He then began to indicate how he was confused as to why he was there at this point," Carpenter said. "He begins continuing to speak and asks the question - what am I even being detained for ... I simply explained what I already explained, we went over that, it's about you being found on a porch where you were located."
He said Brooks did not mention him driving a vehicle through the parade or hurting anyone.
The next day, Carpenter met with Brooks again - first, bringing up the domestic violence charges against Brooks.
Brooks' defense team says in that conversation, Carpenter was being coercive, trying to illicit a response.
"So he indicated he had three different mothers to his children and I asked if they were all whack - if they all had mental health issues or drinking issues - because that's what Mr. Brooks was adamantly, adamantly talking about himself. And then you said it's just the three of us, we can be comfortable - right - and I could tell he was comfortable. It was simply establishing rapport with Mr. Brooks," said Carpenter.
Detective Ben Stern was with Carpenter during these interviews and says Brooks thanked them for being straight with him
"He told me he appreciated the way that I treated him and he told me that his life was over," Stern said. "And then he stated to me he didn't mean to kill nobody."
Related stories:
- Waukesha Parade suspect Darrell Brooks returns to court regarding court-ordered mental health evaluations
- Darrell Brooks pleads not guilty, attorneys ask for trial to be moved out of Waukesha County
Defense attorneys filed several motions, including one to suppress interrogation recordings from the night of the parade.
They say Brooks was in custody at Waukesha Memorial Hospital for a blood draw and observation when police violated his right to remain silent and didn’t stop the interview right away.
Defense attorneys are also asking the judge not to allow evidence found in Brooks’ jail cell during a search last month.
Prosecutors say they searched his cell because they had reason to believe Brooks was plotting to fake his mental health evaluation for his insanity plea.
Brooks' trial is set to start on Oct. 3.
Brooks is charged with six counts of intentional homicide - one for each person killed in the Waukesha parade attack. More than 70 other people were injured.
He could face life in prison.
