A thread on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha.
Closing arguments begin today.
For @nytimes
There are few demonstrators outside the Kenosha courthouse as closing arguments for the Kyle Rittenhouse trial begin today.
Watch closing arguments for the Rittenhouse trial.
Follow along with reporters in the courthouse in Kenosha @juliebosman @NickAtNews @dhinkel
nytimes.com/video/us/10000…
-The judge dismissed charge of possession of dangerous weapon.
-Jury will hear closing arguments on these felonies:
-1st degree reckless homicide.
-1st degree intentional homicide.
-Attempted 1st degree intentional homicide.
-1st degree recklessly endangering safety (2x)
The prosecution begins closing arguments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trials. He is expected to speak for about 2 hours.
The prosecutor lays out their bullet points for the jury
The prosecutor acts out how Kyle Rittenhouse puts down his fire extinguisher and aimed his rifle at a person.
He argues that Rittenhouse provoked an attack with this act of aggression.
He says Rittenhouse loses the right to claim self defense when provoking an attack.
On when a verdict might come down:
The judge asked Jurors how many of them wanted to start deliberations today, right after closing arguments.
The jury was split, about half voted to start today. The rest voted for Tuesday.
The judge will make the decision later today.
The prosecutor tells the jury that they would have believe these 3 things to see the shooting of Rosenbaum as justified.
The court breaks for lunch.
Meanwhile outside there’s a handful of demonstrators on the court steps.
While there’s a lot of national attention on Kenosha, the city itself is quiet
The prosecutor argues that from the crowds perspective in Kenosha that night, Kyle Rittenhouse appeared like an active shooter.
“The crowd has a right to stop an active shooter, the defendant isn’t the only one with the right to self-defense”
The prosecutor shows the jury this video, he says Rittenhouse shoots people and then leaves like he’s in a western.
The prosecutor says Is it reasonable for a criminal to shoot himself out of a crime scene?
If someone tried to stop a bank robber can the bank robber just shoot them and claim self defense?
The prosecutor says this isn’t a 2nd amendment issue since Rittenhouse wasn’t allowed to buy the gun he was carrying.
The prosecutor says the AR-15 Kyle Rittenhouse carried was loaded with Full Metal Jacket rounds
The prosecutor says Kyle Rittenhouse never showed remorse for the people he killed.
He says when Rittenhouse showed emotion, crying on the witness stand, it was for himself, not for anyone else.
The prosecutor says Rosenbaum transgressions were lighting a trash bin on fire and using curse words.
‘If Joseph Rosenbaum were here I would have prosecuted him for arson, but I can’t because the defendant killed him.’
The prosecutor says ‘you don’t kill someone for arson.’
The prosecutor makes the case that Joseph Rosenbaum didn’t pose a threat to Kyle Rittenhouse
Prosecutor Thomas Binger on Kyle Rittenhouse:
“He thinks he’s some cop.”
“Nobody gave him that authority”
“He points his gun at people because he thinks he needs to protect property”
“You can’t use or threaten deadly force to protect someone else’s property” #Rittenhouse
The court will break for 25min.
During the break, the prosecutor apologizes to the judge for the length his closing arguments
The judge says “you could have gotten away with murder, I wasn’t timing it.”
Outside the Kenosha courthouse, a handful of Black Lives Matter demonstrators hold signs and flags on the court steps
The Defense attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse, Mark Richard, begins his closing arguments #RittenhouseTrial
The defense makes their case against the first two counts: reckless homicide and recklessly endangering safety
The defense makes their case for counts 3 and 4.
The most jarring thing in this homicide trial is that the prosecutor and defense are seriously referring to someone pivotal to this case by the name “jump kick man”
The Defense attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse holds the AR-15 style gun Rittenhouse used demonstration to the Jury that his client didn’t hold his gun the way the prosecutor said
The guns the prosecutor and defense attorney held are not loaded, the guns are checked by a bailiff before being handed to the attorneys.
Portland has come up twice now in these closing arguments.
“There were violent people causing trouble and the state wants us to believe it was ok.” The Defense attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse says.
Meanwhile outside the courthouse Patricia and Mark Thomas McCloskey, famous for pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protestors, are here to support Kyle Rittenhouse
Mark Thomas McCloskey, famous for pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter protestors, is here to support Kyle Rittenhouse.
He is also running for senate in Missouri.
Outside the Kenosha courthouse Mark McCloskey says Kyle Rittenhouse is a victim of cancel culture.
Some Kyle Rittenhouse suppers argue with Black Lives Matters demonstrators on the Kenosha courthouse steps
“Self-defense is not a crime” a Kyle Rittenhouse supporter says.
Closing arguments continue into the evening in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha
Jacob Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake, is on the Kenosha courthouse steps
Kenosha Sheriff’s are locking the courthouse for the night. The trial resumes tomorrow.
I am out of the courthouse.
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