WAUKESHA, Wis. — For Halloween, one Waukesha woman decided to dress up “like a super hero this year.”
But you won’t find April Larson’s hero in comic books. You’ll find her in the courtroom.
Donned in robes, a black wig and dark rimmed glasses, the mom of two dressed up as Judge Jennifer Dorow who presided over the Darrell Brooks trial.
“I thought that the way she ran the court, being patient with both sides, really trying to uphold justice, it was a really good example to both adults and children not only on how the justice system works but also what it means to run a fair trial,” said Larson.
She posted her costume on a Waukesha Strong Facebook pageand was met with an outpouring of support; nearly one thousand likes and hundreds of comments.
“I didn’t expect it to be shared and liked and for it to take off, but it definitely did,” Larson told TMJ4.
For Larson and her family, the trial hit close to home in more ways than one. They were walking in the parade last year when the SUV drove through the crowd.
“It was very traumatic for us and for my kids. To watch the trial and to be able to kind of put the pieces together of what happened that day was very healing for all of us.”
She attributes much of that to Judge Dorow for keeping a tumultuous trial moving forward.
“I think girls will look up to her and she just has so much respect from me,” Larson said. “I can’t imagine people not paying attention to this case for a long time and watching Judge Dorow and how she handled herself and handled the court.”
With the trial at an end and aguilty verdict reached on all 76 counts, Larson says the community can now focus on moving on.