Reddit is often called « the front page of the internet, » where users post all sorts of links and stories to what’s happening around the world. But this week, Reddit itself was thrust into the spotlight after a fake post on the platform became part of a high-profile trial being livestreamed to an audience of millions.
Darrell Brooks, the man accused of intentionally plowing his SUV into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin and killing 6 people in November 2021, has been found guilty of six counts of first degree-intentional homicide and dozens of other charges including multiple counts of reckless endangerment.
The bizarre weeks-long trial included the defendant Brooks firing his lawyer, acting as his own attorney, and cross-examining witnesses who were injured in the attack. At one point during the trial, Brooks claimed he was a « sovereign citizen, » arguing that he believed the laws of the U.S. did not apply to him. He also regularly argued with Judge Jennifer Dorow over regular court processes.
However, none of Brooks’ antics could match up to the strange social media events that attempted to derail the trial just one day before the jury reached its verdict.
On Tuesday, someone claiming to be a juror in the Darrell Brooks trial posted to Reddit, basically giving any user on the social media platform an open invitation to add their input about the trial. The post drew immediate attention not only because jurors are prohibited from using social media during the trial, but also because the anonymous user posted it in a subreddit called r/Justice4Darrell with less than a thousand followers. Prior to the juror’s post, this small subreddit appeared to mostly consist of trolls feigning support for Brooks.
« I obviously shouldn’t be here, » read the post. « I’m not allowed to look stuff up about this trial (or really have any connection with the Internet, but nobody actually follows sequestering rules anyway). Hence I am obviously posting anonymously. »
The user went on to explain that though they believed Brooks committed the crime, they didn’t believe he was given a fair trial. The Redditor then brought up the idea of jury nullification, which is when a jury returns a « not guilty » verdict in cases where they want to send a message about the law.
A moderator of the subreddit claimed the user provided proof, privately, that they were indeed a juror in the trial. The post’s comments then quickly filled up with some users questioning its legitimacy while others were outraged that the supposed juror would jeopardize the trial by posting on social media at all.
Nevertheless, the Reddit post actually made it to the trial as multiple individuals forwarded it to authorities. Judge Dorow addressed the existence of the post but also questioned its legitimacy. The judge explained that it had been passed on to law enforcement to look into, but that it would not change the proceedings in the trial.
Not long after, the Redditor who claimed to be a juror came clean. It was indeed fake.
« This was all a prank, I didn’t think this would blow up like this. We are sorry. Love, rdrama, » read the edited post.
The Darrell Brooks trial has received a significant amount of attention online. From the start, right-wing pundits and personalities paid special interest to the case, attempting to tie Darrell Brooks to the Black Lives Matter movement. The live courtroom video network Law & Crime’s coverage of the trial proceedings have, to date, amassed millions of views on YouTube. Tuesday’s verdict watch livestream alone has already racked up more than 2.5 million views. On TikTok, the Darrell Brooks topic page shows that videos about the defendant have received more than 600 million views, with some users explaining how their interest in the case came from TikTok’s For You Page recommendations.
It seems very clear that a legal event with so many eyeballs watching would inevitably attract some bad actors.
Despite the AMA’s inauthenticity, Brooks unsuccessfully tried to make the argument that the Reddit post should result in a mistrial. Brooks pointed to the juror’s knowledge of the case in an attempt to cast the post as legitimate, before being reminded that the trial was being broadcast online all over the world. As prosecutors explained, the edit on the post occurred during a time when the jury was deliberating and did not have access to their phones or any internet-connected devices. Thus, the Redditor behind the post could not have been a juror.
As of Wednesday, the subreddit r/Justice4Darrell has been banned from the Reddit platform.
While the fake juror’s Reddit post never actually threatened a mistrial, it was taken seriously enough to become part of the official courtroom proceedings. And though it only resulted in temporarily hijacking the trial, it will surely prove an enticing blueprint for other trolls to attempt.
In the future, perhaps a similar fake post will be much harder to debunk and actually derail a trial. One thing is for sure, it certainly won’t be the last time this happens.
