KENOSHA, Wis. — The 12-person jury has deliberated for roughly 24 hours over the course of 3 day, including lunch breaks, but has still not reached a verdict in the case against Kyle Rittenhouse. They will return tomorrow to continue deliberations.
Rittenhouse’s attorneys asked the judge on Wednesday to declare a mistrial before the jury reaches a decision, saying the defense received an inferior copy of a key video from prosecutors.
Defense attorney Corey Chirafisi told Schroeder that the defense would have approached things differently if it had received the higher quality video earlier.
He said the request would be made “without prejudice,” meaning prosecutors could try Rittenhouse again if the judge were to grant the request.
Prosecutors countered that the jury saw the highest-quality version of the video during the trial and it was played without objection.
Schroeder did not immediately rule on the mistrial request. There’s no sign on how much longer the jury will deliberate in this case. The 12 jurors and 6 alternates will return Friday morning to continue deliberating.
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.
Follow along for updates:
