'She was with us': Waukesha parade victim's son took her ashes to court as Darrell Brooks is found guilty
WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN: The son of a woman slain in 2021 when Darrell Brooks rammed his SUV into a Christmas parade told a judge on Wednesday, October 26 that his little daughter asked him to bring his mother's ashes to court as Brooks was found guilty of killing her, Daily Mail reported. Marshall Sorenson, the son of "Dancing Granny" Virginia Sorenson, revealed that he brought his mother's ashes to the court during a press conference after the verdict was announced.
Brooks' brutal attack injured several members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and killed four of them. One of those killed was Virginia 'Ginny' Sorenson, who was described as the "heart" of the group. The Waukesha parade killer has been found guilty by the jury in Waukesha County of all 76 charges against him. This comprises six counts of first-degree intentional homicide as his dramatic trial comes to an end.
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Marshall said, "Today, my five-year-old daughter came up to me and handed me this necklace with my mom's ashes in it, and she told me to take my mom with us for the sentencing. So she was with us today." He added, "We've been praying for this day for a long time." A friend of some of the victims, Laurie Hogeland, also told reporters how she was relieved by the verdict. "It was a brief moment of relief," she said, adding, "But, then all the pain comes back. The pain comes back," according to the Daily Mail.
The verdict follows a bizarre trial in which Brooks was repeatedly removed from the courtroom for performing stunts to obstruct the trail, including taking off his top and holding up signs. He also "stared down" the judge, which she described as rude and "frankly, makes me scared." Brooks reportedly kept staring at the judge and slammed his fists against the table.
MEAWW reported earlier that Brooks was seen burying his head in his hands as the first count was read. A person in the court assumed to be a family member of one of the victims screamed, "Burn in hell you piece of s**t." The man was walked out of the court before the judge continued to read out the 76 charges against Brooks. It took the jury almost three hours to find Brooks guilty of all 76 counts.
The sentence will be announced and the families of the victims will have the opportunity to speak at a hearing set for Monday, October 31 by Judge Jennifer Dorow.
Brooks will be serving life in prison whereas the official sentencing will be made on October 31.