‘All I Ask Is You Rot’: Christmas Parade Attacker Gets More Than 700 Years in Prison

The man who drove his car into a crowd of people enjoying a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin last November, killing six and injuring dozens more, has been sentenced to over 700 years in prison. 

Following two days of victim statements, Darrell Brooks was sentenced Wednesday to six consecutive life sentences and an additional 700 years. Brooks was convicted of six first-degree murder charges along with 70 other charges for those he injured in the attack. 

During his trial, Brooks testified it was “God’s will” that he drove his red SUV through the crowded streets, ultimately killing six people, including an eight-year-old boy. People who saw the incident described Brooks driving over people as if they were “speedbumps.” 

During his sentencing, Judge Jennifer Dorow said Brooks “used that vehicle like a battering ram, no different than a firearm.” 

“You have absolutely no remorse for anything that you do. You have no empathy for anyone,” she said. “Frankly, Mr. Brooks, no one is safe from you.”

“You left a path of destruction, chaos, death, injury, and panic as you drove seven or so blocks through the Christmas parade,” she added.

The court took two days to get through the sheer number of victim statements taken into account before the sentencing. At one point when a woman was speaking of the trauma she experienced at the parade, Brooks rolled his eyes. Brooks also gave a lengthy final statement and while he did apologize, he also compared himself to Jesus and said the attack wasn’t premeditated.

“People are going to like I said, believe what they want, and that’s OK,” Brooks said. “This needs to be said: What happened on Nov. 21, 2021, was not an attack. It was not planned, plotted.”

Sheri Sparks, the mother of 8-year-old Jackson Sparks who was killed by Brooks, said that he "violently ripped Jackson from our lives." 

“I feel gutted and broken. It hurts to breathe sometimes," she added. 

Chris Owen’s mother was marching in the parade when she was killed by Brooks. During his witness statement he said, “All I ask is you rot and rot slow."

The statements were cut short because of a mass shooting threat levied against the courthouse. They restarted after the courthouse was sweeped by law enforcement and found to be safe. 

Brooks’ trail was also chaotic. At the onset, he fired his lawyers, decided to represent himself, and declared himself  a sovereign citizen, a pseudo-legal belief system that leads followers to believe they don’t need to follow the United States legal system. That allowed him to cross-examine his own witnesses, many of whom were people he injured or loved ones of those he killed. Brooks also often sparred with the judge, and several times had to be moved from the courtroom to a place where he could watch with a video link because of his disruptions. 

True to form, Brooks got into a heated argument with the judge during his sentencing and had to listen to a portion from a separate room. During the final reading, applause broke out in the courtroom. 

“It is very clear to this court that he understands the difference between right and wrong, and he simply chooses to ignore his conscience,” Dorow said. "He is fueled by anger and rage.”

“Some people, unfortunately, choose a path of evil. And I think, Mr. Brooks, you are one of those such persons.”

Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.

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