The man accused of plowing his red Ford Escape SUV into a Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade last November, killing six people and injuring scores of others, complained in his opening statement at his trial that people had only heard “one side of the story” about the alleged attack.
The six people killed in the attack included Jackson Sparks, 8, Virginia Sorenson, 79; Leanna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52 and Wilhelm Hospel, 81.
The Daily Wire is not naming or showing photographs of the alleged killer due to company policy about not giving notoriety to those who allegedly carry out mass murder, as studies have suggested that media coverage of these events can have a significant impact on the psyches of those who carry out the atrocities because it often gives them the attention that they crave.
The suspect, who already had fought with Judge Jennifer Dorow, removed his shirt while turning his back to the proceedings, and yelled at Dorow, “Don’t nobody tell me what to do!” made his complaint in his opening statement to the jury.
“I would just like to first say that I want to bring to remembering something that I think everyone in this room has been taught, pretty much as far back as we can remember, is that there’s always two sides to every story,” he declared. The suspect reportedly kept driving with his head out the window even as bodies on the windshield blocked his view.
“And for so long now, roughly a year, there’s only truly been one side told of this story,” he continued. “And I’ve sat back and watched from countless narratives that’s been put out there, the way this incident has been portrayed at times. And finally, everyone getting a chance to get the full story.”
“You won’t hear me try to argue facts. The fact is this incident was tragic, very tragic. That’s not lost on me,” the suspect stated. “What I’m confident that the evidence will show is that this incident was not planned. This incident was not intentional. This incident was never even thought about.”
“It’s easy to look at the magnitude of something like this and form opinions,” he declared. “I think it’s easy to disregard a lot of factors. … It’s easy to forget the other side of the coin. … I just want you to keep in mind the power that you have.”
“There’s been a lot of words thrown out there about the alleged — lot of speculation, lot of ridicule,” he complained. “Words like ‘demon.’ Words like ‘monster.’ I know a lot of the time I’ve been before you you’ve seen me with this mask on. I’ve had my reasons for that, but I feel now is the time that it’s important that you see me for who I am. No mask. For who I am. I think this is the moment for that.”
Last week, the suspect demanded in court that his case be dismissed because there were no victims present to face him.
“Where’s the injured party? Is the injured party present in court right now?” the suspect fumed. “Can anyone, can anyone make a claim against me? Can you make a claim against me, your honor?”
“Do you know if anyone that can make a claim against me, your honor? Can anyone right now in court, anyone, make a claim against me?” he continued. “And because of that, your honor, the motion to dismiss should be granted based on that alone. There is no injured party in this matter. So, who makes the claim? Who?”
