Defense rests its case at Kyle Rittenhouse trial
The defense wrapped up its case Thursday at the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old charged with killing two people and wounding a third last summer. Closing arguments are expected to begin on Monday — both parties will have two and a half hours each for arguments and rebuttals.
Defense lawyers tried to drive home the point that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense when he killed two protesters and wounded another at a police brutality protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020.
The final three witnesses took the stand: John Black, a use-of-force expert; Brittni Bray, a Kenosha police officer; and Frank Andrew Hernandez, a self-identified journalist, who filmed the riots.
The testimonies come one day after Rittenhouse broke down when he was questioned about killing the first victim. "I didn't do anything wrong, I was defending myself," he said.
But the prosecution attempted to discredit the core of his defense by questioning why a teenager who illegally possessed an AR-15 style rifle would feel that his life was in danger. Thomas Binger, the lead prosecutor, tried to paint Rittenhouse as an armed threat.
"You're telling us that you felt like you were about to die, right? But when you point the gun at someone else, that's going to make them feel like they're about to die, right? That's what you wanted him to feel," Binger said Wednesday.
Closing arguments to begin Monday
Closing arguments are set to begin Monday. The judge has capped the time for both parties at two and a half hours each for arguments and rebuttals.
Also on Monday, the judge will deliver the jury instructions on several issues before they proceed to deliberations.
The parties will have to send the court proposals for including lesser charges, as well as any special jury instructions Thursday night, before meeting again Friday without the jury present.
Prosecutor questions whether defense witness is biased
The defense called Frank Andrew Hernandez, who describes himself as a "professional commentator," to the stand. Hernandez took body camera and iPhone footage the night of the shooting, documenting what he called the "violent riots" for an organization called "Real America's Voice."
Hernandez provided the videos he took that night to the parties through an attorney. He said he witnessed "Antifa" and other rioters provoking and initiating the conflict, and claimed he saw in one instance Rittenhouse de-escalate a situation outside of a car dealership.
Upon cross-examination, lead prosecutor Thomas Binger asked Hernandez if "Real America's Voice" was biased, a line of questioning the judge did not permit after the defense objected. "This is not a political trial," Judge Schroeder said.
Binger went on to probe why Hernandez spliced together the two video sources himself and began to question why he hired an attorney to hand over the footage to the parties when the defense objected. The judge excused the jury for a lunch break as they debated the line of questioning. The prosecutor wanted to get to the fact that the attorney Hernandez used works for the same firm as an expert witness used by the defense, who did a phone dump review of Rittenhouse's device.
Schroeder did not make a ruling on the line of questioning but indicated he will likely allow it, noting it would be a "closely watched door."
The defense also called use-of-force expert John Black and Brittni Bray, an officer with the Kenosha Police Department.
Man wounded by Rittenhouse calls the teen an "active shooter"
Gaige Grosskreutz, who was shot and wounded by Rittenhouse, said Thursday that it was difficult to watch Rittenhouse testify. Grosskreutz acknowledged carrying a gun that night but denied ever aiming it at Rittenhouse.
"I think any time you see your would-be murderer on the stand it's emotional," Grosskreutz told ABC's "Good Morning America."
"To me, it seemed like a child who just got caught doing something that he wasn't supposed to — more upset that he was caught and less upset about what he had done."
When asked what the public should take away from the case, Grosskreutz said, "I think the most important thing to remember is that Kyle Rittenhouse was an active shooter, he murdered two men, and he attempted to murder me."