Kyle Rittenhouse could be seen smiling in the backseat of an SUV as he was driven away from the Kenosha courthouse Friday afternoon after being cleared of all charges.
Rittenhouse, 18, collapsed in tears and hugged his attorney as the jury in his double murder trial acquitted him of all charges after four days of deliberation and weeks of testimony. The verdict came in at 12:15 p.m. Friday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rittenhouse faced life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge for using an AR-style semi-automatic rifle to kill two men - Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum - and wound a third, Gaige Grosskreutz.
Outside the court, defense lawyer Mark Richards said Rittenhouse was feeling a 'huge sense of relief' at the verdict.
'He is on his way home, he wants to get on with his life,' Richards said.
Richards revealed that the defense team had two mock trials, one with Rittenhouse giving testimony and one without, and it was clear from the jury reaction that he had to go on the stand.
Immediately after the verdict was read, Kyle Rittenhouse was whisked out of the courtroom and into a waiting SUV
Rittenhouse was seen smiling in the back seat of the SUV as he was driven away from the Kenosha courthouse
Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all five counts Friday afternoon by a jury in the Kenosha County Circuit Court
The verdict came in at 12:15pm Friday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, leading to fears that the city might once again erupt in violence
As the first verdict was read, Rittenhouse, 18, started to shake as he fought back tears. But by the end, he could hold them no longer and he collapsed into his chair and then hugged defense attorney Corey Chirafisi
Rittenhouse, 18, collapsed in tears and then hugged defense attorney Corey Chirafisi as the jury in his double murder trial acquitted him of all charges after four days of deliberation and weeks of testimony
He also said the jury deliberations were longer than any other case he had been involved in.
Richards said he believed the Rittenhouse family would move out of the area because of the number of death threats they have received.
'Kyle is in counseling for PTSD. He doesn't sleep at night,' he said.
'Eventually some anonymity will come back to him but I don't think he will continue to live in this area.'
He said Rittenhouse plans to be a nurse.
Richards also criticized prosecutor Thomas Binger. 'Justice is done when the truth is reached. Prosecutors are supposed to seek the truth. It's not about winning,' he said.
But he praised Judge Schroeder, saying he had presided over a 'fair trial.'
'He gives you a fair trial as a defendant — but you don't want him to sentence your client,' he said, commenting on his reputation for handing out stiff sentences.
'If we had lost we know what would happen, he would have gotten life in prison. We asked for a fair trial and we got one.'
He defended Schroeder's decision to allow Rittenhouse to pick the from a tumbler the jurors who would become alternates, saying the defense team was 'devastated' that three of the jurors they considered most on their side were barred from the final deliberations.
Binger had made it clear earlier in the week that he would not comment whatever the outcome of the case.
But his boss Kenosha County District Attorney Mike Graveley issued a statement saying: 'We respect the jury verdict based on three and a half days of careful deliberations.
'Certainly, issues regarding the privilege of self-defense remain highly contentious in our current times.'
Graveley added a plea for calm. 'We ask that all members of the public accept the verdicts peacefully and not resort to violence.'
Rittenhouse's mother Wendy was in the public gallery and also burst into tears as the verdicts were read
Clearly disappointed, prosecutor Thomas Binger, who has been heavily criticized for his actions during the case, sat back in his chair, looked at the ceiling, and issued a sigh as the verdict came in
Judge Bruce Schroeder listens as the verdicts are read by Judicial Assistant Tami Mielcarek in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial
The Rittenhouse shootings took place during riots on August 25, 2020 - two days after Jacob was shot when officers responded to a 'family trouble' around 5:15 p.m. August 23, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Now Kenosha is on edge to see whether it descends into violence again. Protestors from both sides milled on the courtroom steps — one white man saying how proud he was of Rittenhouse and the verdict, standing feet from a black woman railing about white justice.
The verdict marks the explosive end of a trial that has been riddled with controversy and drama that has threatened to derail proceedings more than once.
President Joe Biden said Friday that he stands by the jury that found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty – as Republicans renewed demands that he apologize for calling the Kenosha shooter a white supremacist in the wake of the verdict.
