The jury returned the verdict Friday amid its fourth day of deliberations. Another charge, for failure to comply with a state or local government emergency order, had been dismissed earlier in the trial.A jury in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts in connection with an August 2020 shooting that left two men dead amid protests against police brutality. Schroeder also dismissed a charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 a day before the jury began its deliberations. Last week, the 75-year-old judge sparked new criticism by making a quip about "Asian food." And Schroeder's attempt to honor veterans led the courtroom to applaud a man who appeared to be the only veteran in the room: a witness for the defense.
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Schroeder, the longest-serving current judge in Wisconsin, first drew national attention before the trial began in October, when he said the people shot by Rittenhouse couldn't be called "victims" but could be called "rioters, looters and arsonists."ĭuring the trial, Schroeder angrily chastised prosecutors multiple times and prevented them from zooming in on an iPad video after suggesting that doing so could alter the footage.
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The judge himself also emerged as a main character through a series of actions that left critics questioning his objectivity and supporters penning letters of praise. Kyle Rittenhouse judge has gotten his share of criticism: Can a judge be removed from a case? Not likely. "He would have done better to talk about whether the force used was proportionate to the threat, rather than focusing on the provocation angle, which was an extremely weak argument," Yeretsian said. Lara Yeretsian, a criminal defense attorney based in Los Angeles, said prosecutors focused too much on the weakest parts of their case. The defense also said a key drone video showing the shooting of Rosenbaum was shared with them in a lower quality during the trial, prompting their second mistrial motion.
Some legal observers argued the prosecution bungled parts of the trial, and Rittenhouse's lawyers filed a motion for a mistrial with prejudice, meaning he could not be retried, after lines of questioning from Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger that the defense objected to. "Somehow, some way, those 12 jurors who had the evidence found he was innocent of the charges, yet we have two young men that will never be walking through the door to their families again."īlake said, "we need to pray for their families." Those near Blake held signs calling for "justice for the victims." Another sign had a cut out of Rittenhouse's body showing him wearing a T-shirt that read, "Konvict Killer Kyle."
"We're going to continue to fight," Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, told news cameras posted outside. Several of the demonstrators, including members of Jacob Blake's family, said justice wasn't given in the case. Outside the courthouse, opposing groups of protesters exploded with cheers and boos as the verdict was read. A Daily Caller reporter was at the scene of the Rosenbaum shooting and said a bullet whizzed past him. Rittenhouse fired at an unidentified man twice before he shot Huber and Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse was acquitted on all five charges he faced: first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two first-degree recklessly endangering safety counts. Prosecutors said Rittenhouse should have fled or fought without firing his gun if he feared for his safety, but the defense argued he thought the men could take his firearm and use it to kill him or others. While Rittenhouse argued he acted in self-defense, prosecutors said he provoked the attacks by bringing his AR-15 style rifle to the protest and pointing it at others, which the defense disputed.Īlthough Grosskreutz was armed with a pistol, Rosenbaum and Huber were not. Rittenhouse said he was in Kenosha to help the community during the unrest, but prosecutors painted him as a vigilante looking for trouble.
Police mistreatment of people of color has become a cultural flashpoint on the left, just as social justice protests have for those on the right.īlake, whose shooting sparked the protests in Kenosha, was left paralyzed, and the white police officer who shot him was cleared of any federal or state charges. Tears, yelling and calls for a mistrial: What a dramatic day could mean for the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trialĪlthough Rittenhouse is white, as were his victims, the shootings occurred during a racial justice protest.
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