Kyle Rittenhouse trial: Jury begins second day of deliberation on five counts

news7g11/17/2021

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Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: Jury begins to discuss 5 counts

The jury, consisting of five men and seven women, began considering the five felony charges Tuesday morning. They asked two questions of the court, both for additional copies of the 36-page jury instructions of the case.

The discussions that came after the two-week trial were punctuated by emotion and intrigue testimony from Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old is at the center of debates around self-defense, gun ownership, and the Black Lives Matter protests. In the stands, he told jurors – and the public – that he acted in self-defence.

“I did nothing wrong. I defended myself,” he testified.

Rittenhouse was charged with five felony counts: first-degree murder, first-degree reckless murder, first-degree murder, and two first-degree reckless endangerment counts. The jury may also consider lesser offenses on two of the five counts. If found guilty of the most serious offences, Rittenhouse could face the mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Judge Bruce Schroeder denied possession of a light weapon and a non-criminal curfew violation prior to deliberation.

The allegations stem from the chaotic unrest last year following the police shooting of Kenosha Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man. After violent riots and destruction, Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, brought along a medical kit and an AR-15-style rifle and joined another group of armed men in Kenosha on the 25th. August 2020.

There, Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum – who was chasing the teenager and threw a bag at him – and then tried to run away. A mob of people pursued the teenager, and Rittenhouse shot an unidentified man who tried to kick him; shot and killed Anthony Huber, who hit him with a skateboard; and Gaige Grosskreutz is injured, who was armed with a pistol.

What happened in court?

Prosecutors called 22 witnesses within six days when they managed to show Rittenhouse acted recklessly that night and provoked Rosenbaum by pointing a rifle at him, setting off a series of events that followed.

“That’s what incited the whole case,” prosecutor Thomas Binger said in the conclusion. “When the defendant provoked this episode, he lost his right to defend himself. You can’t claim defense against a risk you created.”

Prosecutors describe three other people who confronted the teenager as “heroes” trying to prevent what they see as an active shooting. Binger also questioned the teenager’s decision to take a gun into the city in the first place, calling him a “chaotic tourist”.

However, on the ground, Rittenhouse testified He was acting in self-defense when he fired four times at Rosenbaum, who he said had threatened him before, chased him, threw a bag at him and plunged into his gun. Rittenhouse also mentioned three other people he shot at as part of a “crowd” that was chasing him.

Here's what the jury in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial will have to consider

He became emotional and burst into tears in his testimony as he began recounting the initial shooting, which led to the case.

During the closing argument, defense attorney Mark Richards said Rittenhouse feared for his life when he opened fire.

“Everybody who was shot attacked Kyle. One on a skateboard, one with his arms and one with his feet, one with a gun,” Richards said. “Hands and feet can do great damage to the body.”

The trial featured more than a dozen videos from the night showing what happened before, during and after the shooting. Most of the facts about what happened that night are not up for debate – rather, the focus of the trial was on analyzing Rittenhouse’s actions and whether they could be considered “reasonable”. .

The prosecution faces a tough challenge in the case because Wisconsin law requires the state to reasonably prove that Rittenhouse did not act in self-defence. But there are limits to a self-defence statement.

“A defendant may knowingly use force with the intent or potential to cause death or major bodily harm only if the defendant reasonably believes that the force used is necessary to prevent the imminent death or major bodily harm to self,” the jury instructions explained.

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