The Waukesha Christmas Parade suspect has pleaded insanity; 3 mental health doctors will evaluate him

WAUKESHA - Darrell Brooks Jr., the man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens of others in the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade, will try to establish that he was not mentally competent when reportedly he drove through the crowd.

The only hitch, discussed at a hearing Tuesday, was which mental health doctor should evaluate him as part of a process tied to his plea of not guilty by reason of mental defect, commonly called an insanity plea.

As it turns out, three doctors will each do the job independently.

The defense attorneys for the 40-year-old Milwaukee man announced the plea change during a June 20 change of venue hearing in Waukesha County Circuit Court. As part of that plea, Brooks will have to be examined to provide the court and all attorneys with expert information on his mental state.

But Brooks' attorneys and the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office had struggled to determine who should conduct the examination, a matter which became more urgent after Brooks recently declined a visit at the Waukesha County Jail from the doctor initially appointed by the court.... (Read more)

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