A judge has ruled that the trial of Darrell Brooks Jr., the man accused of driving his vehicle into a Waukesha Christmas parade killing six people and injuring more than 60 others, will not be moved.
Judge Jennifer Dorow denied motions made by defense attorneys to move the October 2022 trial to a different county or bring in jurors from a different county saying,
“Knowledge is not enough to strike a juror for cause,” Judge Dorow said “Given the facts presented in this case, the relevant statutes, constitutional provisions and case law, it is clear to this Court that a change in venue is not required.
During the Monday hearing, Judge Dorow explained that the jury will be allowed to return home each night,
“Once a jury of 16 is impaneled, juries will be sequestered at the courthouse during each day of trial but allowed to return home at the end of the day. These jurors will meet each day at a different undisclosed location for transport to the courthouse by the clerk’s office and law enforcement. This will ensure that jurors are kept separate from victims, witnesses, attorneys, and the media.”
Dorow then said that the court will refer to how it runs its proceedings as “the Kenosha way.”
Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges in the November trial in which the jury was allowed to return home every night, and instructed not to speak to anyone about the case,
“This was a prophylactic used during the highly publicized trial of Kyle Rittenhouse last year and one which this court viewed as being appropriate and meeting the needs to ensure a fair and impartial jury,” Judge Dorow said.
Brooks previously plead not guilty to 77 charges including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, 61 counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, six counts of hit-and-run resulting in death, two counts of felony bail jumping, and two counts of misdemeanor battery.
However, attorneys for the 40-year-old changed his plea from “not guilty” to “not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.”
The judge accepted the plea change and indicated a competency evaluation will be conducted.
