In short, the lives of Rittenhouse and the three men he shot would all be different had he stayed home that night. The exception likely exists to allow teens to hunt. However, Schroeder agreed with the defense's motion that the law only applies to what are essentially sawed-off rifles and shotguns, along with pistols or other types of weapons, which Rittenhouse didn't have. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time of the shootings, which meant that under Wisconsin law it was illegal for him to possess the AR-15 he used. However, Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed that charge earlier this week. 'If you believe him when he says self-defense, then you have to acquit him.' What Happened to the Gun Charge?ĭespite the uncertainty surrounding the murder charges, most thought Rittenhouse would be convicted on the misdemeanor gun charge. 'If you've got them to believe that everything he did was to defend his life and his life was at risk, that if he wouldn't have shot those men he'd be dead himself - that's it,' high-profile criminal defense attorney Lara Yeretsian told USA Today. However, the jury saw things the way the defense presented them. The prosecution argued that Rittenhouse, by traveling to the scene of an ongoing riot armed with an AR-15 and staying out past curfew, was inviting trouble for himself and that he used excessive force. The law assumes that the shooter has already considered retreating and decided that deadly force is the last resort. Unlike some states, Wisconsin law also does not require someone in Rittenhouse's situation to 'retreat' before using deadly force. Under Wisconsin law, people have the right to use deadly force if they 'reasonably' believe that it's necessary 'to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.' He said Grosskreutz pointed a gun at him. He said that Huber hit him in the head with a skateboard and also grabbed his gun. Rittenhouse, testifying in his own defense, said that he had no choice but to use deadly force against Rosenbaum, who he said was chasing him and trying to take his gun. Instead, Rittenhouse's defense argued that he acted in self-defense, while the prosecution argued that Rittenhouse provoked violence that night in Kenosha. Neither the defense nor prosecution disputed that Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse faced charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless endangerment, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 (more on that charge below). Rittenhouse Successfully Argues Self-Defense This post attempts to cut through the noise and answer the question of why the jury found Rittenhouse not guilty. Furthermore, the judge allowed Rittenhouse to handpick the final 12 juror members in a raffle.After several days of jury deliberation, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty last week of murdering two people and injuring another during racial justice protests last summer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.Īctivists on both sides of the political spectrum were quick to spin what the verdict meant for their movements or what the judge's and jury's motivations were. Schroeder also sparked conversation for leading a Veteran’s Day applause before hearing from a witness who was previously in the Army. Additionally, he didn’t allow lawyers to describe the people killed by Rittenhouse as “victims” in front of jurors, but allowed them to be referred to as “looters” and “rioters,” per Chicago Tribune. Before the jury began working toward a verdict, he threw out Rittenhouse’s non-criminal curfew violation and charge for possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor, arguing that Wisconsin’s laws didn’t apply to his particular weapon. In handling the case, Judge Bruce Schroeder garnered controversy for several of his actions.

Jurors agreed, acquitting him of all five felony charges after nearly four days of deliberations. Rittenhouse, now 18, pleaded self-defense to all the charges, claiming he “didn’t do anything wrong” in his testimony. On that day, then-17-year-old Rittenhouse killed Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and injured then-26-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz with an AR-15 in two killings caught on camera, according to People. The charges spawned from a deadly August 2020 confrontation at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man. 19 in a polarizing ending to his highly publicized trial. Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges of intentional homicide, reckless homicide, attempted intentional homicide, and two counts of reckless endangerment on Nov.