Rittenhouse Acquitted on All Charges

After several days of deliberation, the jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial found him not guilty on all counts.

Rittenhouse faced charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. The original misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous weapon under the age of 18 was dismissed by judge Bruce Schroeder because Rittenhouse’s rifle did not meet the legal definition.

The trial ends as legal experts from all sides of the political spectrum expressed dismay at the prosecution’s behavior – behavior that brought multiple corrections by the judge and most notably involved a dressing down for the prosecution’s implication that Rittenhouse exercising his fifth amendment right to remain silent was somehow evidence against him.

On the night of August 25th, Kyle Rittenhouse shot three men who confronted him during the civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the police shooting of Jacob Blake two days earlier. The Blake shooting was later determined to have resulted from Blake’s refusal to submit to lawful orders from the involved officers, and Blake’s picking up a knife while resisting arrest.

The rioting and civil unrest in Kenosha led to the declaration of a state of emergency, activation of the Wisconsin National Guard, and some armed citizens defending property from being destroyed by rioters and looters.

Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, stated that he and a friend traveled 20 miles to Kenosha to help protect a car dealership that had been badly damaged the night before, reportedly suffering $1.5 million in damages. Testimony was conflicting in terms of whether defensive help from Rittenhouse had actually been requested, but the night of the 25th saw confrontations between armed militia and left-wing activists.

Rittenhouse was chased by Joseph Rosenbaum, who pursued him and attempted to take his rifle prior to being shot and killed. Rittenhouse left the scene and was pursued by protesters including Anthony Huber. Huber struck Rittenhouse with a skateboard and attempted to take his rifle, and Rittenhouse shot and killed him.

The third shooting involved Gaige Grosskreutz, who was in Kenosha filming the protest for the ACLU. He questioned Rittenhouse prior to the second shooting, then advanced on Rittenhouse with his Glock pistol before being shot in the arm by Rittenhouse. Grosskreutz testified that he believed Rittenhouse was an active shooter.

Prosecution characterized Rittenhouse as a vigilante and instigator of the events that led to the shootings, even going so far as to claim that Rittenhouse’s right to self-defense ceased to exist because he armed himself with a firearm and that the defendant should have let himself get beat up. Prosecutor Thomas Binger famously aimed Rittenhouse’s rifle at the jury while trying to make a point.

Left-wing celebrities like Lebron James and Ben & Jerry weighed in on the trial, joining Joe Biden who prior to the jury being empaneled insinuated that Rittenhouse was a white supremacist. The jury has reportedly been threatened by anti-Rittenhouse forces, including the nephew of George Floyd who made a video threatening jurors if they don’t convict Rittenhouse.

Big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and GoFundMe removed content supportive of Rittenhouse under rules banning the glorification of mass shooters despite the fact that Rittenhouse remained innocent until proven guilty.

Rittenhouse’s defense argued that he was in Kenosha to help protect property and that the shootings were in self-defense, leaning on video evidence that helped solidify the order of events and bolster Rittenhouse’s version of the night’s events. The defense also brought several witnesses including a Kenosha police officer who testified that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.

With the aftermath of last year’s riots still plaguing Kenosha, the town braces for a repeat of the violence as left-wing protesters have threatened violence in the event Rittenhouse was not convicted.