Rittenhouse jury to begin deliberating Tuesday morning
The jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is set to begin deliberations Tuesday morning on murder and other felony charges facing the 18-year-old for fatally shooting two protesters and wounding a third last year.
Jurors heard closing arguments on Monday after a controversial two-week trial that garnered national attention.
In addition to the two murder charges, the jury is being asked to decide whether Rittenhouse is guilty of one count of attempted murder and two counts of recklessly endangering safety.
There’s no dispute in the case over whether Rittenhouse committed the shootings, but it will be up to the jury to decide whether they were justified acts of self-defense.
Prosecutors closed their arguments on Monday, saying that Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, provoked the protesters who were demonstrating against police brutality after a police officer in Kenosha, Wis., shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times.
“You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create,” Thomas Binger, an assistant district attorney in Kenosha County, told the jurors. “That’s critical right here. If you’re the one who’s threatening others, you lose the right to claim self-defense.”
Mark Richards, one of Rittenhouse’s attorneys, said on Monday that his client was afraid for his life after being “ambushed” by protesters and that he had traveled to Kenosha in order to help protect local businesses during unrest.
“He came down here trying to help, to see the damage, and that’s what he did,” Richards said.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
