Waukesha Christmas parade killer plans to appeal, court records show

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The man convicted of killing six people and injuring dozens more will appeal the guilty verdicts that saw him sentenced to several lifetimes and hundreds of years in prison.

Court records show Darrell Brooks filed notice that he planned to file for post-conviction relief on Tuesday, a day after the judge in the case rejected his request for a stay of the dozens of convictions against him, pending the results of an appeal.

In mid-November, a Waukesha Co. jury found Brooks guilty on 76 charges stemming from him driving an SUV into Waukesha’s Christmas parade. The verdicts came a week short of the one-year anniversary of the attack. Each of the six first-degree intentional homicide charges carried a mandatory life sentence, with a judge only allowed to determine if a defendant would be eligible for extended supervision.

Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow forcefully rejected a chance for Brooks’ eventual release. And, in addition to the life sentences, she added 762 years in prison for the other charges against him.

During the trial, Brooks and his family argued mental illness led to the Nov. 23 attack. With only the notice filed, it is uncertain the basis of his petition. During the trial, legal experts predicted his antics while the case was being argued would not help him win an appeal

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