The Rittenhouse trial lasted for fourteen days with dozens of photos and videos of evidence and witnesses along with Mr. Rittenhouse’s testimony.
Mr. Rittehnhouse was accused of reckless and intentional manslaughter offenses with other fatal crimes including shooting to kill two men and hurting a third.
The jury panel in the Kenosha courtroom observed the case throughout the opening statements from both the defense and prosecution attorneys and scribbled their opinions. After a two-week trial, the attorneys are expected to come up with the closing remarks this week.
The background of the Rittenhouse Case:
Kyle Rittenhouse is a white aspiring officer who shot two people in Kenosha Wisconsin during a protest against Police brutality and racism. The men that he shot during the protest were also white, but for many, the trial would be closely watched as to how it will influence the American legal system and the latest race referendum.
Rittenhouse 17, the police officer used a semiautomatic rifle at the incident of shooting two men and injuring a third at a summer protest 2020. He said he was sent to Kenosha to provide security to the public property back in the days when the protest went into anger when Jacob Blake was gunned down by a Kenosha officer (white).
Justin Blake uncle of Jacob Blake proposed to make a connection of these killings to his nephew’s murder as he believes that Jacob was the key part of the backstory case.
“Make the connection,” said Justin Blake, “This is clearly Black and white.”
The Jury has imposed attempted and equivalent murder criminal charges on Rittenhouse. Expectations are there that Rittenhouse would get a life sentence. However, he had confessed that he shot the protestors but in self-defense.
After the incident, Kyle received massive support from gun rights supporters and the opponent of the movement ‘Black Lives Matter’. These conservative groups even collected $2 million for Kyle’s bail and to use for his legal defense,
Witnessing the support the Teen officer was getting, Jacob’s uncle said:
“If our country shows that you can shoot Caucasians who support us, then this country can never stand up in any international or global hearing and talk about human rights,” the uncle said.
He added that if Rittenhouse gets released, these white people will “ride down every African American community and just have fun, like you’re going hunting or something.”
On the other hand, Kyle’s defense attorney said that ‘he is not white supremacist, and his defense funds stated that he is neither part of the militia group
According to some social activists, Blake’s and Rittenhouse’s cases are treated differently for the same crime. After all, Blake once stepped down and even agreed to surrender.
Rittenhouse is having seemingly opposite behavior from law enforcement. Even that night Law Enforcement saw Rittenhouse was chased by a car lot driven by the victim Joseph Rosenbaum (protestor) before Rittenhouse shot him.
After that Rittenhouse chased the other protest as seen in the footage. At the same time when he was chasing protestors, Anthony Huber struck Kyle using his skateboard when he shot him dead.
Within seconds when the third armed man, Gaige Grosskreutz came forward to attack Rittenhouse with a pistol, he shot him through his rifle on the spot.
Other protestors on the road tried to complain about Rittenhouse to the law enforcement but he waved hands, keeping his firearm on his shoulder. Hours later, he went back to his home Antioch, Illinois.
Defendant’s stand
Mr. Rittenhouse in the trial answered the questions about the killing in his defense for several hours. Most of the time he looked composed but oftentimes sobbing seeing his mother bursting into tears out from the court’s gallery.
He said to the jury that he shot the protestors in his self-defense. Under cross-questioning, when Rittenhouse was asked why did he kill Joseph Rosenbaum who had no weapon?
“If I would have let Mr. Rosenbaum take my firearm from me, he would have used it and killed me with it and probably killed more people,” Mr. Rittenhouse said
The Closing remarks
On Monday, five hours of closing remarks went to further discuss the Rittenhouse trial. The experts are now figuring out whether it was the prosecutor or the defense, who made the stronger remarks that can influence the jury’s verdict.
The experts are pressing their verdicts to the prosecution side saying that they would have the stronger side provided that Rittenhouse claims himself that he shot three men, two in self-defense.
Long harsh discussions between the Jury, prosecutors, and defense attorneys on the self-defense side were done on Monday.
Prosecutor Thomas Binger argued that Rittenhouse was the one who provoked the incident by showing his AF rifle to the protesters before the victims started chasing him. Numerous times Binger pointed out Rittenhouse Riffle which is kept in the white box just behind the defense table during the whole trial. Pointing to it and pressuring on how the teenager wielded the arm menacingly and recklessly that night.
“This is a guy who came with special bullets and a gun, who came up to Kenosha with a gun to shoot someone,” said Lopez, summarizing what he called the thrust of Binger’s closing. “I think the prosecutor effectively made that point.”
The lead defense attorney Mark Richards accused the prosecution of lying in rage.
“Mr. Rosenbaum was shot because he was chasing my client and going to kill him, take his gun and carry out the threats he made,” Richards added. Rittenhouse never pointed his gun before being chased: “It didn’t happen.”
At the closing remarks, the jury had made their decision which still takes time to conclude the verdict. However, the prosecution, the defense, and the audience would have been able to conclude the decision but not as decisive as the Jury would have made.
