A mother of three died Sunday after a vehicle drove into a crowd of parade marchers and pedestrians in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Her husband said his wife believed everything happened for a reason. “She had an interesting view on things and that everything was for a reason,” John Kulich said. “That was something she said constantly when anything bad would happen: ‘Well, things happen for a reason, and we never know what the reason is.'”
In addition to the six fatalities, 62 others were injured in the crash, according to a criminal complaint filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court. Darrell E. Brooks, 39, of Milwaukee has been charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Brooks is a registered sex offender in Nevada and has an active arrest warrant in that state, court records show. He was also released on a $1,000 bond earlier this month after allegedly running over a woman earlier this month who said she is the mother of his child, according to court documents.
“The State’s bail recommendation in this case was inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges and the pending charges against Mr. Brooks,” acknowledged Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm in a statement. “The bail recommendation in this case is not consistent with the approach of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office toward matters involving violent crime, nor was it consistent with the risk assessment of the defendant prior to setting of bail.”
Jane Kulich, 52, died from injuries sustained during Sunday’s motor vehicle rampage. Within days of her death, John Kulich learned his wife had undiagnosed uterine cancer, according to a CBS report.
“And so when I heard [the cancer diagnosis], I wanted to say, well maybe this is the reason. I don’t know. But I’d like to think that,” John Kulich said.
Their Sunday reportedly began at church where the couple listened to a sermon about great couples of the world. It ended roughly six hours later while Jane was watching a parade with coworkers from the bank where she was employed. John and Jane Kulich had been married 22 years.
“I was happy to hear that I could at least give my children the thought that maybe a lot of suffering was avoided,” John Kulich told “CBS Mornings” correspondent David Begnaud. “At least give my children the thought that, well, maybe God took her so she didn’t have to suffer [from cancer].”
Jane was described by her husband as a beautiful person. “I never heard a bad word about her,” he reportedly said. “Everyone who met her always loved her.”
The husband told Begnaud he is trying to see the bright side of things because he feels that is what his deceased wife would have wanted. He noted she was an organ donor and hopes his kids find some solace in thoughts that her organs could help save or improve someone else’s life.
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