Darrell Brooks sentenced to life in prison without parole

WHAT HAPPENED. I’M SORRY THAT YOU COULD NOT SEE. WAS TRULY IN MY HEART. >> BREAKING NEWS AT 6. AN APOLOGY FROM DARRELL BROOKS. NOT ENOUGH, THOUGH, TO SPARE HIM FROM A LIFE TIME IN PRISON. >> ON COUNTS ONE THROUGH 6. THIS COURT IS IMPOSING A LIFE SENTENCE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OR ELIGIBILITY FOR EXTENDED SUPERVISION CONSECUTIVE TO ONE ANOTHER. ONE LIFE SENTENCE FOR VIRGINIA SORENSON. ONE LIFE SENTENCE FOR LEANNA OWEN. ONE LIFE SENTENCE FOR TAMARA DURAND. ONE LIFE SENTENCE FOR JANE KULICH. ONE LIFE SENTENCE FOR BILL HOSPITAL. AND ONE LIFE SENTENCE FOR JACKSON SPARKS. >> THANK

YOU FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING. WITHIN THE LAST JUST 10 MINUTES, DARRELL BROOKS WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING 6 PEOPLE AND INJURING DOZENS MORE IN HIS ATTACK AT THE WAUKESHA CHRISTMAS PARADE. >> AS JUDGE DOROW EXPLAINED DURING THE SENTENCING BROOKS HAD EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO STOP. >> MISTER BROOKS HAD ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO STOP. THIS WASN’T ONE ISOLATED PERSON THAT HE COULD CLAIM. I DIDN’T KNOW. I STRUCK SOMEONE. THIS WAS DRIVING OVER PEOPLE. WHAT KYLE JEWEL DESCRIBED AS THE SUV WENT OVER. PEOPLE LIKE THEY WERE BIG. ALL SPEED BUMPS. KATIE CROWTHER IS LIVE OUTSIDE

THE WAUKESHA COURTHOUSE WITH MORE. >> SHANNON AND CHARLES, THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF A LOT OF EMOTIONS OF A LOT OF PAIN OF A LOT OF HEARTACHE. A JUDGE DOROW

GAVE THAT SENTENCE JUST MOMENTS AGO DURING SENTENCING. SHE CRIED AT ONE POINT SAYING HOW HARD THIS HAS BEEN HEARING FROM ALL OF THE VICTIMS AND COVERING THIS CASE. >> THAT COME THAT CAME AFTER DARRELL BROOKS SPOKE FOR 2 HOURS TODAY. HE ALSO CRIED AT ONE POINT. BUT NEVER REALLY TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK ITSELF ON THE WAUKESHA CHRISTMAS PARADE. HE CRIED, BUT HE WAS ALSO REPETITIVE

RAMBLING. AT ONE POINT HE TURNED AROUND TO ADDRESS THE VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS WHO ARE SITTING IN COURT AND JUDGE DOROW SAID NO, YOU CANNOT DO THAT. TAKE A LISTEN. >> THIS IS A MOTION APOLOGIZE TAKING SO LONG THAT MAY. THE DECISION TO REDEDICATE MY LIFE TO CRISIS. WHEN THIS TRAGEDY HAPPENED. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT. NOT ONLY AM I SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED. I’M SORRY THAT YOU COULD NOT SEE. WAS TO ME AND HEART FROM A >> YOU SEE FOR THAT >> DURING THAT SENTENCING, SOME OF THE FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF THE PARADE ATTACK

ACTUALLY LEFT BECAUSE THEY JUST COULDN’T STOMACH HEARING. BROOKS TALK ANYMORE BEFORE BROOKS SPOKE, HIS MOTHER GRANDMOTHER AND A GOOD FRIEND SPOKE VIA ZOOM ON HIS BEHALF. THEY ALL REFERENCED HIS MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLE THAT HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND ASKED HE BE GIVEN THE HELP HE NEEDS. NOW, BROOKS, MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER ALSO ADDRESSED THE VICTIMS SAYING THEY UNDERSTOOD THEIR PAIN AND THAT THEY PRAY FOR THEM. BROOKS’S FRIEND REFERENCED HOW HE’S A GOOD PERSON. AGAIN, NONE OF THIS ENDED UP REALLY SWAYING THE JUDGE OR VICTIMS. ONCE BROOKS STARTED TALKING, HE COVERED A LOT OF

DIFFERENT TOPICS, FOCUSED ALL ON HIM, WHICH HAS BEEN THE CASE. THIS WHOLE TIME. HIS DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD, NOT KNOWING HOW THIS ALL HAPPENED. HIS MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, HE SHARED MESSAGES TO THE MOTHERS OF HIS CHILDREN. HE TOLD THE JUDGE HIS BEHAVIOR DURING THE TRIAL WAS NOT PERSONAL. HE WAS JUST FRUSTRATED. AT ONE POINT HE REALLY TOOK AIM AT WAUKESHA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUE OPPER AND THE PROSECUTION TEAM SAYING THEY WERE NOT FAIR TO HIM. AND ONCE AGAIN, ALMOST INDICATING HE’S BEEN THE VICTIM IN ALL THIS. AM I ANGRY? HE’LL YEAR? YOU. SO WHAT? >> WHAT HAPPENED

ON NOVEMBER? 21ST 2021. NOT. NOT. AN ATTACK. IT WAS NOT PLAYING. PLIGHT. THIS WAS NOT. AN INTENTIONAL ACT. LEARNING HOW TO. WRAP MY HEAD AROUND SO SITUATIONS BEEN STREAMED THE OR I KNOW WHO I AM. GOD KNOWS YOU AND I DON’T. HAVE WORDS OF ANGER. ANY? SHOT, SO TO SPEAK, TO THROW BACK. >> AGAIN, JUST VERY BIZARRE. AND THROUGHOUT THE SENTENCING, HE KEPT INTERRUPTING. THE JUDGE GOT REMOVED FROM THE ROOM. ONCE AGAIN. I MEAN, IT’S HARD FOR ALL OF US TO WATCH THIS BEHAVIOR. IMAGINE IF YOU’RE SOMEONE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE PARADE. IF YOU LOST

A LOVED ONE IN THAT ATTACK AND TO SEE THAT BEHAVIOR IN COURT THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL AND EVEN IN THE VERY LAST MINUTE OF SENTENCING, IT’S JUST I WROTE, I HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT I ADMIRE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO CAME IN HERE EVERY DAY AND KEPT THEIR STRENGTH, KEPT THEIR RESERVE. AND I’M GOING TO TRY AND TALK TO SOME OF THEM AS THEY COME OUT OF COURT. BUT THEY HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED RELIEF AT THIS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BUT NOTHING WILL BRING THEIR LOVED ONES BACK. BACK TO YOU >> VERY EMOTIONAL. DIFFICULT DAY

FOR THE FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THIS TRIAL. I’M JOINED BACK OUT HERE LIVE NOW WITH CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY JONATHAN LAVOY HAS BEEN SHARING HIS INSIGHTS AND EXPERTISE THROUGHOUT THIS TRIAL. WE APPRECIATE THIS. YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR THAT TERM THROW THE BOOK AT HIM AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE JUDGE DID EXACTLY THAT. >> SHE CERTAINLY DID. SHE GAVE 6 CONSECUTIVE LIFE SENTENCES. PLUS HUNDREDS OF ADDITIONAL YEARS. I THINK IT’S SYMBOLIC TO SHOW THAT EACH VICTIM MATTERED AND THAT THERE WAS A CONSECUTIVE SENTENCE FOR EACH PERSON THAT WAS EITHER KILLED OR INJURED IN THIS EVENT. SHE ALSO SAID THAT

BROOKS SHOWED A LACK OF REMORSE AND EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE SENTENCE HE HAD IN THIS TWO-HOUR SPEECH SAYS SHE COULDN’T FIND ANY MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES. >> IN THIS CASE, WOULD THAT HAVE CHANGED ANYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT LAST NIGHT THAT SHE WANTED TO HEAR AN APOLOGY TO THE VICTIMS AND HE SPOKE FOR 2 HOURS AND ONLY HOLD AS ONE TIME. I DON’T THINK IT WOULD HAVE IMPACTED THE SENTENCE, BUT I THINK IT WOULD HAVE >> MADE IT CERTAINLY SOME IMPACT ON THE VICTIMS. YEAH. >> WE DID HEAR THAT FROM HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER WHO TALKED ABOUT THE

REMORSE AND APOLOGIZING AS WELL AS WELL AS MENTAL ILLNESS. WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK THEY HAD ON THE COURT AND MAYBE WITH THE FAMILIES? BUT IT MADE SENSE OF THE FAMILY IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE BEHAVIOR OF MISTER BROOKS MENTAL ILLNESS IS THE EXPLANATION THAT CAME UP WITH WHAT THE JUDGE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT MENTAL ILLNESS MIGHT BE PRESENT. BUT IT WASN’T AN EXCUSE FOR HIS BEHAVIOR IN THIS CASE. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, JONATHAN, BEING