© Sean Krajacic/Pool via REUTERSJudge Bruce Schroeder discusses charges against Kyle Rittenhouse during proceedings in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin judge at Kyle Rittenhouse's murder trial Monday dismissed a count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
The misdemeanor charge seemed to be among the most likely for which prosecutors will get a conviction, according to the Associated Press
Rittenhouse, then 17, killed two men and wounded a third in the summer of 2020 during a turbulent protest against racial injustice in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The judge's ruling came as he gave jury instructions Monday morning, explaining the charges and the laws of self-defense .The two side in the early afternoon began delivering closing arguments.
The most serious charge against Rittenhouse, now 18, is first-degree intentional homicide.
There is no dispute that Rittenhouse was 17 when he carried an AR-style semi-automatic rifle on the streets of Kenosha and used it.
But the defense argued that Wisconsin law has an exception related to the length of a weapon's barrel. Prosecutors argued that the defense was misreading the statute. Judge Bruce Schroeder had twice sided with prosecutors earlier in declining to dismiss the charge, but he also said the law was confusingly written, the wire service also reports.
Comment: RT
updates the trial proceedings:
© Reuters / Sean KrajacicProsecutor Thomas Binger haranged Rittenhouse for allegedly breaking gun safety rules, while breaking gun safety rules.
Mark Richards, who leads Rittenhouse's defense team, blasted Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger for misleading jurors in the case, namely about the death of Joseph Rosenbaum. While prosecutors argued that Rosenbaum, 36, was killed in cold blood, Richards insisted the man was only shot after attacking Rittenhouse and trying to grab his rifle as the teen attempted to retreat.
"This case is not a game; it is my client's life. We don't play fast and loose with the facts, pretending that Mr. Rosenbaum was citizen A, number-one guy," Richards said. "He was a bad man, he was there, he was causing trouble, he was a rioter, and my client had to deal with him that night alone."
Kyle shot Joseph Rosenbaum to stop a threat to his person, and I'm glad he shot him, because if Joseph Rosenbaum had got that gun, I don't for a minute believe he wouldn't have used it against somebody else. He was irrational and crazy.
In addition to Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse was also charged for the death of Anthony Huber, as well as the non-fatal shooting of Gaige Grosskreutz, all of whom were captured on film chasing the teen before they were shot.
In their own closing statements, the prosecution said that Rittenhouse had "provoked" the incident, characterizing him as an "active shooter" and attempting to flip the self-defense argument on its head.
"When the defendant provokes the incident, he loses the right to self-defense. You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create," Binger said, adding the fact that Rittenhouse was armed invalidated his defense and that "the crowd has the right to try to stop an active shooter."
At one point during his final argument, Binger turned heads after trying to recreate the scene on the night of the shootings, hoisting an AR-15 to his shoulder and aiming it into the crowded courtroom with his finger on the trigger. The defense challenged his presentation of the facts, arguing that Binger was facing the wrong way in his attempt to simulate Rittenhouse's actions, while many observers online raked Binger over the coals for disregarding basic gun safety.
Binger has been roundly mocked for his slimy courtroom tactics:
YouTube gets involved:
Even if all guns were equal independent of your dominant side, Kyle would have had to switch which should his sling was on and hold it goofy-style for their "enhanced image" to show what they claimed. Also, he would have had to drop the fire extinguisher, switch sides, and switch back in under 5 seconds while being chased. I really, really hope there are no ideologically possessed leftists on the jury.