If convicted on the most serious charge, Rittenhouse could face a mandatory sentence of life in prison
A group of 18 jurors was in court for the entirety of the trial but six were dismissed by a random drawing on Tuesday morning. The final 12-person jury panel is made up of five men and seven women, according to a pool reporter in court. Shortly after beginning deliberations, the jurors asked the judge for extra copies of the jury instructions.
In closing arguments Monday, the prosecution argued Rittenhouse, 17 at the time, provoked the fatal shootings by pointing his AR-15-style weapon at Joseph Rosenbaum, setting off a series of events that left two people dead and one wounded.
“That is what provokes this entire incident,” prosecutor Thomas Binger said. “When the defendant provokes this incident, he loses the right to self-defense. You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create.”
In response, defense attorney Mark Richards said Rittenhouse feared for his life when he fatally shot Rosenbaum, who Richards argued had threatened him, chased him, thrown a plastic bag at him and lunged for his gun. Rittenhouse also shot at three other people who, Richards argued, had attacked him.
“Every person who was shot was attacking Kyle. One with a skateboard, one with his hands, and one with his feet, one with a gun,” Richards said. “Hands and feet can cause great bodily harm.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I defended myself,” he testified.
Rittenhouse, now 18, is charged with five felonies: first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. Jurors are also able to consider lesser offenses for two of the five counts. If convicted on the most serious charge, Rittenhouse could face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Prosecutors called up to 22 witnesses over the course of six days as they sought to show Rittenhouse provoked Rosenbaum by pointing the rifle at him and acted recklessly. The prosecution portrayed the three other people who confronted the teen as “heroes” trying to stop what they believed to be an active shooting.
However, the defense said Rittenhouse acted in self-defense and feared for his life when he shot at the men.
The trial featured more than a dozen videos from the night that showed what happened before, during and after the shootings. Most of the facts of what happened that night were not up for debate — rather, the heart of the trial was the analysis of Rittenhouse’s actions and whether they can be considered “reasonable.”
