Jury Selected After Waukesha Parade Trial Begins With Disruptions

WAUKESHA, WI — The trial of the man accused of driving his car through the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade kicked off on Monday and despite disruptions from the defendant, a jury was sworn in on Tuesday and opening statements are expected to begin on Thursday, online court records showed.

Darrell Brooks faces six charges of first-degree intentional homicide and 61 charges of recklessly endangering safety. In the week before the trial, Brooks was granted the right to represent himself — causing one expert to predict challenges — and as the trial kicked off on Monday, Brooks was removed from the courtroom because he kept disrupting Judge Jennifer Dorow.

Dorow had to take multiple breaks from the trial's voir dire before it even began on Monday until she eventually sent Brooks to watch proceedings from the courtroom next door, according to the Associated Press. At one point in the first few days of the trial, Brooks said he didn't recognize the State of Wisconsin or Dorow as a judge.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, when the defense and prosecution were given the chance to strike potential jurors, Brooks tried to cross out every name, causing the clerk to pick jurors at random from a tumbler to strike when it was the defendant's turn.

If convicted, Brooks could face life sentences for each of the homicide charges. The youngest person killed after the parade was just 8 years old. Five others were also killed in the parade, according to prosecutors.

It took until after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday to seat the jury, 10 men and six women (four were selected as alternates), according to FOX6 News.

As of Wednesday, online records showed that Brooks has requested subpoena forms, which courts and attorneys use to call witnesses to trial. Now that the jury is seated, the trial will be streamed via CourtTV.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.