KENOSHA, Wis. — A group of 12 jurors began deliberating in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial Tuesday morning, after closing arguments wrapped Monday and roughly two weeks of testimony.
Judge Bruce Schroeder said he checked in with the jurors Tuesday evening and deliberations will continue Wednesday morning.
Rittenhouse, from Illinois, is charged with killing two people and wounding a third during a police brutality protest in Kenosha, Wis., last year.
Rittenhouse faces several counts, including first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide, in the Aug. 25, 2020, deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, could face life in prison if convicted on the first-degree homicide charge.
He traveled across the state border from his home in Illinois to Kenosha, during protests in the city following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer. The case is polarizing across the political spectrum, with some seeing him as a vigilante, and others portraying him as a patriot who acted in self-defense.
Gov. Tony Evers activated about 500 National Guard to be on standby ahead of the verdict, should Kenosha authorities request their assistance.
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