Darrell Brooks Jr., who killed 6 in Christmas parade, sentenced to life in prison

A man who killed six people and injured many others when he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with no chance of release.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow sentenced 40-year-old Darrell Brooks Jr. on 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 61 counts of reckless endangerment.

Each homicide count carried a mandatory life sentence, and the only uncertainty Wednesday was whether Dorow would allow Brooks to serve any portion of those sentences on extended supervision in the community, the state’s current version of parole. She did not. Wisconsin doesn’t have the death penalty.

On Tuesday, as Brooks’ victims gave impact statements to the court, almost all of them begged the judge to deliver the toughest sentence possible. Chris Owens, whose mother was among those killed, told Brooks: “All I ask is you rot, and you rot slow.”

Brooks drove his red Ford Escape through the parade in downtown Waukesha on Nov. 21, 2021, after getting into a fight with his ex-girlfriend. Six people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy who was marching with his baseball team, as well as three members of a group known as the Dancing Grannies. Scores of others were injured.

This is a breaking update. AP’s earlier story follows below.