Strange moments from closing arguments of Rittenhouse trial
Kyle Rittenhouse’s dramatic murder trial wrapped up on Monday as the lengthy closing statements by attorneys featured some strange moments.
A verdict is expected tomorrow following jury deliberations.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger led the prosecution, delivering closing arguments that lasted for over two hours. Rittenhouse is represented by defense attorney Mark Richards.
Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and later Anthony Huber, 26, as well as wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020, during protests and civil unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Kyle Rittenhouse looks back as attorneys argue about the charges that will be presented to the jury during proceedings at the Kenosha County Courthouse, November 12, 2021. Sean Krajacic/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Here are four of the most bizarre and dramatic moments from Monday’s closing statements:
1. At one point in his closing, Binger alarmingly picked up the AR-15 rifle that Rittenhouse had used and pointed the rifle at people in the courtroom with his finger on the trigger, imitating how Rittenhouse instigated the fatal shooting.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger holds Kyle Rittenhouse’s gun as he gives the state’s closing argument. Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool
“That is what provokes this entire incident,” he said.
2. In another strange moment, Binger argued that Rittenhouse “brought a gun to a fistfight” by bringing the firearm to the protest, using an image from Patrick Swayze’s iconic 1989 film “Road House.” The unique legal move was quickly ridiculed online.
In a strange moment, Thomas Binger argued that Rittenhouse “brought a gun to a fistfight” by bringing the firearm to the protest, using an image from Patrick Swayze’s iconic 1989 film “Road House.” Reuters
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger used an image from the film “Roadhouse” in closing arguments. Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool
“What you don’t do is you don’t bring a gun to a fistfight,” Binger said to the jury. “What the defendant wants you to believe is that because he’s the one who brought the gun, he gets to kill.”
3. Binger harshly mocked Rittenhouse for his “performance as a medic that night,” responding to a video taken that night in which Rittenhouse claimed he was an EMT.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger uses his water bottle to represent the fire extinguisher Kyle Rittenhouse held on the night of August 25, 2020. Sean Krajacic/Pool via REUTERS
“On one hand, he wrapped up an ankle and I believe helped someone put a Band-Aid on a cut on their hand,” he said. “On the other hand, he killed two people, blew off Gaige Grosskreutz’s arm, and put two more lives in jeopardy.
“So when we balance your role as a medic that night, I don’t give you any credit.”
Mark Richards, Kyle Rittenhouse’s lead attorney, gives his closing argument during Rittenhouse’s trial. Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool
4. Rittenhouse’s defense attorney Mark Richards wrapped up the defense’s closing arguments on Monday, boldly claiming that “Every person who was shot was attacking Kyle.”
“There was no threatening behavior that started this. Mr. Rosenbaum was hell-bent on causing trouble that night. He did what he did and he started this. There are tragic parts of it, but Kyle Rittenhouse’s behavior was protected under the law in the state of Wisconsin — the law of self-defense.”
“Hands and feet can cause great bodily harm,” he said.
On Tuesday, names will be drawn to determine which 12 of the 18 jurors will deliberate and decide whether Rittenhouse is guilty.