Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: Jury begins third day of deliberation on 5 counts
“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.
Schroeder denied possession of a light weapon and a non-criminal curfew violation prior to deliberation.
What happened in court?
“That’s what caused this whole incident,” 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”.
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.
CNN’s Mike Hayes, Carma Hassan and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.
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