BREAKING: Prosecutors charged a man with intentional homicide in the deaths of five people who were killed when an SUV was driven into a Christmas parade in Wisconsin. Conviction on first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence.
A small child takes part in a candle light vigil in downtown Waukesha, Wis., Monday, Nov. 22, 2021 after an SUV plowed into a Sunday Christmas parade killing multiple people and injuring dozens.
Other lesser charges were also expected to be filed against Darrell Brooks Jr. related to the roughlywhen an SUV barreled through the parade route at a high speed, sending people flying through the air. Julius Kim, a defense attorney and former assistant prosecutor, said the bail could easily have been set more than twice as high.
Legal experts cautioned that one extreme case should not be a reason to push for higher bail amounts that would keep poorer defendants behind bars longer while they await trial. And Republican state Rep. Cindi Duchow said she was reintroducing a constitutional amendment that would change the bail process in Wisconsin to allow judges to consider a defendant’s danger to the community when setting bail. Judges currently are only allowed to consider the possibility that defendants might not show up for a court appearance when setting bail.
Brooks had left the site of the domestic disturbance before officers arrived, and was not being chased by police at the time of the crash, according to the chief, who gave no further details on the dispute.