Man accused in fatal Wisconsin parade crash changes plea (insanity defense)

Source: Associated Press

Man accused in fatal Wisconsin parade crash changes plea

By TODD RICHMOND
June 20, 2022

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more when he allegedly drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee last year has decided to mount an insanity defense, his attorneys said Monday.

Darrell Brooks Jr. faces more than 80 charges, including six homicide counts, in connection with the Nov. 21 incident in Waukesha. He pleaded not guilty in February. During a hearing Monday one of his attorneys, Jeremy Perri, told Judge Jennifer Dorow that Brooks is changing his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

Perri did not elaborate. The judge ordered a mental evaluation for him.

When a defendant enters such a plea under Wisconsin law a judge or jury must determine whether he’s guilty or innocent of the alleged crime. If the defendant is found guilty, a judge or jury must determine whether the defendant was mentally responsible for his conduct at the time of the offense. Such a determination could result in the defendant being committed to a mental health facility rather than prison.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/crime-wisconsin-milwaukee-207ac23d8bd6e9c77c33e15f047a515f


FILE - Darrell Brooks Jr. enters the Waukesha County Courthouse courtroom in Waukesha, Wis., on March 29, 2022. Brooks Jr., accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more when he allegedly drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee in 2021, has decided to mount an insanity defense, his attorneys said Monday, June 20, 2022. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)