The prosecution's case depended on video evidence that was often dark and blurry. In Wisconsin, once a defendant has made a self-defense claim, prosecutors must then disprove it "beyond a reasonable doubt," experts explained. Richards, Rittenhouse's defense attorney, told NPR's All Things Considered that he thought Rittenhouse "did a very good job for an 18-year-old kid who was testifying for his life." Prosecutors had a very high bar to overcome Rittenhouse's self-defense claim He did not come off as smug or indignant," said Charles Coleman Jr., a civil rights lawyer and former prosecutor, who said that Rittenhouse came off like a "regular teenager." "That needed to be something that the jury was reminded of." That message was clearest when Rittenhouse himself testified, a turn on the stand that several experts said was very effective for the defense. It didn't stop him," Rittenhouse testified last week. He could have ran away instead of trying to take my gun from me, but he kept chasing me. I pointed my gun at him, and that did not deter him. Rittenhouse shot four times within a second, killing him. Rittenhouse and another witness both testified that Rosenbaum had reached for Rittenhouse's gun. Later, he chased Rittenhouse through a used-car lot. Rosenbaum, the first person Rittenhouse shot, had acted belligerently throughout the night, according to video evidence and witness testimony. "And if so, he's allowed to use essentially as much force as he thinks is reasonably necessary to stop the threat," said Kim. They emphasized that he was the only person there to shoot someone.īut the law of self-defense in Wisconsin allows someone to use deadly force if they reasonably believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.
#KYLE RITTENHOUSE VERDICT NOT GUILTY SERIES#
Prosecutors said that Rittenhouse had put himself in danger through a series of reckless choices: He came to Kenosha during a period of violent and destructive riots he armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle he stayed there past curfew and after being separated from his group.
#KYLE RITTENHOUSE VERDICT NOT GUILTY TRIAL#
Law Kyle Rittenhouse is acquitted of all charges in the trial over killing 2 in Kenosha Rittenhouse had a strong self-defense case "I think that anyone who saw the evidence could see that the jury might have a difficult time coming to a unanimous decision that Kyle Rittenhouse wasn't defending himself," said Julius Kim, a defense attorney and former prosecutor based in the Milwaukee area. Though jurors did not speak to the media to explain their decision, legal experts contacted by NPR throughout the trial said an acquittal was not surprising. The most serious charge, first-degree intentional homicide, carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Rittenhouse faced five felony counts after he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, then 26. There were times when we were confident," said Mark Richards, Rittenhouse's lead defense attorney, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was read. Rittenhouse trembled as the verdict was read, count by count, then collapsed in sobs.
Legal experts said Rittenhouse's claim of self-defense was strong from the beginning.Īfter 27 hours of deliberation over the course of four days, a jury declared Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on the five charges he faced after fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during a night of unrest in Kenosha, Wis., last year.
Bystanders on the steps of the courthouse watch as the verdict is read in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.
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