Judge OKs Agreement To Destroy Gun Used By Kyle Rittenhouse; $2 Million For His Bail At The Center Of A Legal Fight
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A total of $2 million was raised to bail out Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse back in November 2020.
Months after he was found not guilty, we now know where all that money is going to go. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey on Friday shared the long list of people who wanted that money.
The $2 million bond was at the center of a legal fight that began the moment Kyle Rittenhouse was found "not guilty" back in November of last year. There was even a new claim filed just this week.
The images of then 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse carrying the AR-15 assault-style rifle on the night of Aug. 25, 2020, became emblematic of this controversial case.
Rittenhouse shot three men during the protests in Kenosha. He killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz in the arm.
Rittenhouse argued self-defense and was acquitted.
Rittenhouse's attorney asked prosecutors to return the rifle, which Rittenhouse wanted to destroy so that it couldn't be used as a police symbol.
On Friday, Judge Bruce Schroeder approved the agreement to have it destroyed by the state crime lab.
Schroeder also decided that Rittenhouse's attorney Mark Richards, the #fightback foundation formed by Rittenhouse's original attorneys, Lin Wood and John Pierce, and the actor Ricky Schroder would split up the $2 million pot that had been used to bond the teen out of jail.
In an interview after his acquittal, Rittenhouse claimed that Wood and Pierce "used" him for their own gain:
"Being used for a cause by John Pierce and Lynn wood and trying to raise money so they could take it for their own benefit and not trying to set me free," Rittenhouse said.
A hedge fund entered the fight just this week.
In a Kenosha County filing, the fund said they were entitled to at least $300,000 that they put toward Rittenhouse's bail. Judge Schroeder denied that claim today.
We reached out to Attorney Mark Richards to see if Rittenhouse will see any of the cash. No word yet.
The gun had been purchased by Rittenhouse's friend, Dominick Black. Earlier this month, Black took a plea deal to avoid to felony charges for giving the gun to a minor.
