Jury to begin deliberation in Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial after closing remarks

Jury to begin deliberation in Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial after closing remarks Kicking off the prosecution's closing arguments, Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger told the jury to ignore Rittenhouse's argument that he was attacked and fired his semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle in self-defense, killing two men and wounding a third. Instead, Binger said, Rittenhouse instigated the fatal clashes by brandishing his weapon. Binger tried to demonstrate this by raising the gun in front of the jury. The defense will follow with its final address to the jury and is expected to highlight the considerable evidence presented at trial supporting Rittenhouse's argument that he was attacked. Multiple witnesses have testified that Joseph Rosenbaum, one of two men Rittenhouse fatally shot, had charged and lunged at the teenager. But by arguing that Rittenhouse was the aggressor, Binger sought to raise the bar for the claim that he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with killing Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, on Aug. 25, 2020. The shootings took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests - marred by arson, rioting and looting - that followed the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down. Rittenhouse, who has pleaded not guilty and testified last week that he acted in self-defense, faces life in prison if convicted. He was 17 at the time of the shootings. Earlier Monday, the trial judge dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Rittenhouse for illegally possessing the AR-15-style rifle he used in the shootings. Judge Bruce Schroeder sided with the defense argument that there were exceptions in the law that appeared to allow for Rittenhouse to possess the semi-automatic rifle. While a misdemeanor charge, its dismissal carries symbolic significance for a case that has captured the attention of the public in part because it involved a teenager roaming the streets with a semi-automatic rifle who was not immediately brought into custody by the police in Kenosha. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk Like The Sun on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesun/ Follow The Sun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSun Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Sun/1633225139