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Day 5: Six Witnesses Testify, Brooks Breaks Down and Sobs in Court: ‘I’m just a little emotional right now.’

By SAM CALDWELL and TREY GARRISON

The fifth day in the trial of accused BLM-inspired anti-White terrorist Darrell Brooks was packed with witness testimonies and law enforcement mapping of the alleged attack. It also contained dozens of Brooks objections, all of which were overruled by Judge Jennifer Dorow. By the end of the first break, Brooks even appeared to sob.

The state’s more than 70 felony charges against Brooks include six counts of first-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon, 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, six counts of hit-and-run involving death, and two counts of bail jumping. He also faces two misdemeanor counts of domestic abuse-battery.

Brooks, a known career criminal and a registered sex offender, is charged with murdering six and seriously wounding more than 60 people in the deadly 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade attack in Waukesha, the primarily White town 30 minutes west of Milwaukee. Brooks’ SUV plowed through parade marchers, and the targets were White people.

First Witness: Erika Patterson

Erika Patterson testifying in the courtroom

The first witness of the day was Erika Patterson, 32, the girlfriend who was with Brooks shortly before the deadly parade attack. She testified about her interactions with Brooks before the deadly parade attack, including physical violence. Patterson said Brooks gave her a hard open-hand hit.

Wittchow: “Like a backslap?”

Patterson: “Harder than that.”

Patterson also testified that Brooks followed her in his car, yelling at her out the window.

Once again, the prosecution studiously avoided any mention or questions about Brooks’ extensive, documented history of anti-White statements and hate, all of which preceded the attack on the Waukesha Christmas parade, where White people were targeted and run over.

In questioning Patterson, he repeated the same questions so many times despite warnings from the bench that presiding Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow finally terminated his cross-examination.

Second Witness: Steven Guth

Detective Steven Guth

The second state witness for the day was Waukesha Police Detective Steven Guth, who interviewed Patterson after she filed a domestic violence report against Brooks.

Brooks was less proactive with his “sovereign citizen” tactics and more reactive to the state’s witnesses. He spent much of the day clumsily trying to undermine their testimony with irrelevant and inane questions. Before calling for a brief recess, Judge Jennifer Dorow complimented Brooks on his behavior, which seemed to clash with disruptions and outbursts the court had experienced earlier in the week.

COVID Test Results and Ejection from Courtroom

Judge Dorow requested the COVID test result before Brooks lost his composure and was removed from the courtroom

After a morning break, Brooks refused to provide Judge Dorow with the results of his COVID test, which he insisted on. After multiple refusals, she had him removed to the adjacent courtroom to participate by Zoom. He could be heard yelling as bailiffs forcibly restrained him off-camera.

Once the proceedings resumed, Brooks had his head facing down. He told Judge Dorow, “I’m just a little emotional right now.” Brooks grabbed a tissue and began writing a letter on his desk.

Brooks appeared to sob in the courtroom on Friday after a brief outburst involving his COVID-19 test results and multiple witness testimonies.

At this time, it appeared as if Brooks began to sob. His face, however, was covered by a blue surgical mask. He continued to cry after the break as Dorow asked him questions.

Third Witness: Jeremy Philipps

Waukesha Police Officer Jeremy Philipps

The third witness was Waukesha Police Officer Jeremy Philipps, who has 14 years of experience in law enforcement. He was not assigned to work the Christmas parade but was on standard patrol duty on the day of the alleged attack.

Philipps testified that he was dispatched to a complaint regarding two subjects fighting in a nearby park, allegedly with a knife. While driving around looking for suspicious persons, Philipps noted that he didn’t find anyone with or without a knife.

At this time, Philipps claims he first heard on his radio that a collision had occurred at the parade site.

Philipps then located three distressed individuals: Erika Patterson and two friends, and began to ask them about the alleged fight. The two friends urge Patterson to divulge the details to Philipps, but she refuses to cooperate despite visible injuries.

As Philipps spoke to Patterson, more and more calls came in “1078 after 1078; Officer needs immediate assistance, all available units-come in,” along with reports about a rapidly increasing amount of citizens down and injured in the street.

Due to Patterson’s noncompliance and the urgency of the squad calls, Philipps departed the scene and began to travel to the parade site.

The state then played dashcam footage from Philipps’ squad car as he drove to the scene of the alleged attack, as distressed voices called out over the radio.

Philipps described the scene as “Mass chaos, carnage everywhere” and navigated the scene attempting to administer help. One of the victims Philipps encountered tells him that she saw what happened: “A red SUV sped through the parade and did this.”

Brooks then cross-examined Philipps and interrogated him as to whether he is currently being paid. He asked various questions regarding Philipps’ interaction with Patterson amid a slew of sustained objections from the state. Brooks’ line of questioning interestingly emphasized that no knife was present at the altercation.

Brooks: “Was any knife recovered from that scene?”

Philipps: “I did not recover a knife. I did not see any individual with a knife.”

Fourth Witness: Kyle Edwards

Kyle Edwards

The fourth witness was Kyle Edwards. A resident of Waukesha at the time, he was in the military for 17 years, along with training in first aid. He planned to attend the parade with his wife and two children. On his way to the parade, Edwards described seeing a red SUV turn the wrong way past him alongside him, yelling and gesturing wildly.

The path Edwards highlighted

Edwards described a brief confrontation with Brooks at a gas station. Brooks yelled at him to get out of his way. After this, Brooks sped away while Edwards and his family continued traveling toward the parade.

Later, as they arrived at the parade, Edwards testified seeing a body fly through the air as the same red SUV sped by the parade path. Edwards then had his wife take their children and return home while he stayed to administer medical help to victims of the attack.

After Edwards’ testimony, Brooks cross-examined Edwards, asking a slew of questions, most of which the state objected to. Brooks attempted to sow doubt as to whether the man that Edwards witnessed was actually Brooks. “Do you see the State of Wisconsin in the courtroom today?” Asked Brooks, continuing to cling to Sovereign citizen defense strategies despite countless successful objections by the prosecution.

Fifth Witness: Holly Berg

The fifth witness was called Holly Berg. She testified that, while dropping her boyfriend’s daughter off at a dance event for the Christmas parade, she saw a red SUV turning the wrong way onto a street by a gas station—this was the same confrontation previously described by Edwards.

She also traveled to the parade after witnessing the altercation and sat down at a location where they had previously laid down blankets. She described seeing a red SUV traveling at a high rate of speed along the route, recognizing it from before, just as it struck a catholic community group of marchers.

She recounted seeing bodies flying into the air as the SUV continued driving through the crowd and identifying Brooks, remarking to her mother that he was the same person she saw back at the gas station.

Brooks then cross-examined her, bizarrely wishing her a good afternoon and asking a series of questions that she immediately refutes:

Brooke: “Did you see brake lights?”

Beg: “Yes.”

Brooks: “Would that mean the vehicle was intending to stop?”

Berg: “Or slow.”

Brooks: “Would you characterize that [20mph] as extremely fast?”

Berg: “For the parade? Yes.”

The court then took a brief recess, during which Brooks asked for the case to be dismissed due to “subject matter jurisdiction.”

Sixth Witness: Thomas Casey

Thomas Casey

Thomas Casey was the sixth witness called, a detective with the Waukesha police department, and was working traffic control during the Christmas Parade, as he had done for many years prior. Casey describes how many squad cars were positioned along intersections in the route to signify that no cars may enter.

Casey went on to describe the formation and flow of the parade and identify the various groups afflicted by Brooks’ alleged attack. The state showed clips of eight groups of marchers and three separate groups of spectators.

The state presented a map, highlighting the route along with all groups struck by Brooks

While describing the groups that Brooks struck, he objected to being called the defendant. Notably, he also objected to being referred to as Darrell Brooks.

Judge Jennifer Dorow then proceeded to dismiss the court after instructing the jury not to deliberate or discuss the trial with any other parties until the end of the proceedings. Not to be left without speaking the last word. However, a final sovereign citizen-inspired legal interruption by Darrell Brooks marked the end of the day’s deliberations. The trial of Darrell Brooks is expected to resume on Monday.

Jackson Sparks, 8; Tamara Durand, 52; LeAnna Owen, 71; Wilhelm Hospel, 81; Virginia Sorenson, 79; and Jane Kulich, 52, died in the Waukesha parade attack. All of the victims were White.

A live stream of the trial is available here.

For background on Brooks and his alleged anti-White crimes, read a summary by Justice Report. To view the National Justice Party/Media2Rise documentary on Brooks and the Waukesha attack, click here.

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