Waukesha Christmas parade massacre suspect Darrell Brooks appeared to break down in tears during his trial Friday as the presiding Wisconsin judge praised his behavior while Brooks represented himself in court.
The praise from Waukesha Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow, claiming Brooks did an “excellent job” of representing himself in the trial and had been “respectful of the rules,” unlike earlier this week when he was removed from the courtroom on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for frequent interruptions.
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As Dorow complimented his attitude before the court took a break, Brooks appeared to cry, according to Fox News. Dorow also praised Brooks in a statement to the court, claiming she was giving Brooks time to recover from his emotions during a 90-minute lunch break and that he had competently represented himself so far.
“Generally speaking, he has done a competent job of representing himself and [provided] solid cross-examination this morning,” Dorow said. “So I’m going to give him an opportunity to hopefully settle back in and come back here when we return from lunch.”
Brooks faces 77 criminal charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the Christmas parade attack in Waukesha, where six people were killed and dozens more were injured. If convicted, he faces up to six life sentences for the murder charges.
Several witnesses spoke during the proceedings Friday, the first of which was Brooks’s ex-girlfriend Erika Patterson, who claimed she had a violent encounter with Brooks previously when he allegedly struck her while they were in the car and attempted to take her cellphone when she tried to get away from him.
The second witness was Waukesha police detective Steven Guth, who testified about his interview with Patterson over her domestic violence allegations. Brooks attempted to cast doubt on Guth’s testimony, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Other witnesses included other law enforcement officers and people in the crowd at the parade when Brooks allegedly plowed his red Ford Escape into the crowd on Nov. 21.
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Brooks attempted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity after initially pleading not guilty but withdrew the insanity plea last month and asked to represent himself instead. Dorow granted the request last week, ruling that Brooks possessed “the minimal competency necessary to conduct his own defense.”
Brooks’s trial will continue next week.
