Today, a court commissioner ordered that Darrell Brooks Jr. must stand trial for killing six people and injuring dozens more when he drove an SUV through a suburban Christmas parade last November. According to Ap News, prosecutors have presented ample evidence that Darrell probably committed felonies. An amended criminal complaint includes 71 additional charges against him.
Charges include six counts of homicide and multiple counts of reckless endangerment. If convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison sentence if convicted on one homicide charge. During today’s session in court, reports show District Attorney Susan Opper called one witness to stand. Police detective Thomas Casey testified that he and other officers yelled at Darrell to stop as he drove the SUV through the parade.
The detective also detailed how Darrell drove the SUV and zig-zagged across the street for blocks and smashed into marchers from behind in the fatal incident, and ran them over. He said Darrell injured 61 people, including the six people he killed. Darrell’s attorney, public defender Anna Kees, spoke on his behalf and suggested that her client was under the influence, noting that officers who arrested him noticed he smelled of marijuana and his eyes were red and glassy.
Anna also stated her client couldn’t turn off the parade route because the side streets were barricaded and surrounded by spectators. She noted that he explained to detectives that he didn’t intend to kill anyone and couldn’t bring himself to look when detectives showed him photos of the massacre. Currently, Darrell is headed back to court on Feb. 11th for his arraignment, where he will enter a plea agreement. Darrell will remain behind bars on a $5 million cash bond.
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