Kyle Rittenhouse was a “wannabe soldier acting tough” and a “fraud” who made himself out to be a Western hero, prosecutors charged as closing arguments continued Monday afternoon in the teenager’s homicide trial.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger earlier told jurors Rittenhouse “ran around with an AR-15 all night and lied about being an EMT.”
The prosecution’s final gambit began after Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the sixth and most minor charge against the Illinois teenager: a firearm misdemeanor.
Rittenhouse is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. He wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, after shooting him in the arm during the third night of riots in the small Wisconsin town.
Rittenhouse, then 17, of Antioch, Illinois, faces five criminal charges ranging from intentional homicide to recklessly endangering safety. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted of the most serious charge, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“The only person who killed anyone was the defendant,” Binger told jurors. He also told the jury that Rittenhouse had no connection to the business he said he was going to protect and threw doubt on claims Rittenhouse was there to “genuinely help.”
Binger showed the jury a segment of drone video that he said depicted Rittenhouse pointing the AR-style rifle at protesters in the streets.
“This is the provocation. This is what starts this incident,” he said.
He added, “You lose the right to self-defense when you’re the one who brought the gun, when you are the one creating the danger, when you’re the one provoking other people.”
RITTENHOUSE JUDGE DISMISSES UNDERAGE GUN CHARGE
Ahead of closing arguments, Schroeder dismissed the weapons charge. Wisconsin is an open carry state, meaning it’s legal for adults to carry firearms openly, though state law prohibits minors from possessing firearms except in limited circumstances. Schroeder sided with the defense and ruled state law does not ban a 17-year-old from carrying a rifle with a long barrel.
He also spent two hours reading 36 pages of legal instructions to the jury, explaining the charges and the laws of self-defense.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys were allotted two and a half hours each to convince a 12-person jury that Rittenhouse was legally justified when he pulled the trigger and shot three men in less than three minutes during a night of civil unrest.
Rittenhouse found himself in Kenosha on the third night of protests on Aug. 25, 2020, sparked by a white police officer shooting a black man in the back seven times at close range.
The protests gave way to riots that ended in two deaths, several injuries, multiple arrests, and $50 million in damages.
The defense rested its case Thursday, with the most compelling moments coming from Rittenhouse himself. Despite prosecutors painting him as a vigilante out of his depth, Rittenhouse told the jury he had no other choice than to fight his way out of an escalating situation.
He said he feared for his life when Rosenbaum lunged at him, Huber hit him with a skateboard, and Grosskreutz pointed a gun at him.
Rittenhouse answered questions for about six hours. When he first took the stand, he sobbed, prompting the judge to call for a short recess. When the court proceedings resumed, Rittenhouse calmly answered questions and explained his thought process that night.
“I didn’t want to have to kill anybody,” he said. “I was being attacked.”
The prosecution’s case was at times uneven. Its star witness, Grosskreutz, the only person to survive being shot by Rittenhouse, lent support to the defendant’s claim that he acted in self-defense.
During cross-examination, the volunteer medic testified that Rittenhouse shot him in the arm after he approached and pointed his pistol in Rittenhouse’s direction.
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Daily Caller videographer Richie McGinnis also gave testimony that undermined the prosecution’s case. He testified he saw Rosenbaum lunge at Rittenhouse and reach for the barrel of his gun. Schroeder’s courtroom was packed Monday, with a line of people waiting to get a seat. Outside the courthouse, someone had erected a cutout of Rittenhouse, and a man stood on the corner waving an upside-down American flag, the Associated Press reported.
On Friday, Gov. Tony Evers activated 500 Wisconsin National Guard troops to partner with local law enforcement.
“I urge folks who are otherwise not from the area to please respect the community by reconsidering any plans to travel there and encourage those who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights to do so safely and peacefully,” Evers said.
