Jurors in Kyle Rittenhouse trial return for day 4 of deliberations
KENOSHA, Wis. — Jurors in Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial returned Friday for the fourth day of deliberations in the high-profile case.
The jury of seven women and five men is weighing whether Rittenhouse, 18, was acting in self-defense or provoking violence when he shot dead two men and injured a third during riots in Kenosha last year.
As jurors weighed the evidence presented during the two-week trial, two mistrial requests from Rittenhouse’s defense attorneys hung over the case.
The requests have the potential to upend the verdict if jurors decide to convict Rittenhouse, including one that asks the judge to prevent prosecutors from retrying the teen.
The fourth day of deliberations comes after Judge Bruce Schroeder banned MSNBC from the court a day earlier after a freelancer was accused of following jurors in their bus.
Emotions have been running high in anticipation of the verdict, with protests occurring outside the courthouse this week as the jury continued with its deliberations.
National Guard troops have been in place in Kenosha all week after being deployed by Gov. Tony Evers in preparation for any potential violence surrounding the verdict.
Rittenhouse is on trial for killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and attempted homicide in the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, on Aug. 25, 2020 after riots erupted in the wake of the police-involved shooting of black man Jacob Blake.
The teen, who was 17 at the time, said he acted in self-defense after being attacked. Prosecutors have argued he instigated the bloodshed.
Outside court Friday morning, Blake’s uncle Justin Blake told The Post: “Today is the day for justice.”
“We’ve been through a long week and a half and two weeks of trial. The jurors are really doing their job,” he added.
“I believe they’re gonna find him guilty, probably on reckless endangerment or something along those lines. He’ll be going to jail.
“Now if this goes by and they let this young man go – which we don’t believe will happen – it will allow militias to come into our community and do anything they want to in regards to guns, and they’ll keep harming African Americans.”
Rittenhouse is facing life in prison if he’s convicted of the most serious charge against him.
