The Rittenhouse jury now carries the load

 

Tony Branco

Closing arguments begin at murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse  "Closing arguments at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial began Monday with a prosecutor questioning whether Rittenhouse was really there to help the night he showed up in Kenosha with a rifle during a protest against racial injustice.

"Prosecutor Thomas Binger told the jury that Rittenhouse had no connection to the business he said he was going to protect, he ran around with an assault rifle, and he lied about being an emergency medical technician.

“Does that suggest to you that he genuinely is there to help?” Binger asked.

"Binger repeatedly showed a segment of drone video that he said shows Rittenhouse pointing the gun at protesters after setting down a fire extinguisher.

“ 'This is the provocation. This is what starts this incident,” the prosecutor said." . . .

Why Did Judge Dismiss Weapons Charges Against Kyle Rittenhouse?  "A Kenosha County judge handed a huge win to Kyle Rittenhouse's defense team before closing arguments when he dismissed a misdemeanor gun charge against the teen.

"Legal experts had considered the misdemeanor gun charge — which carries up to 12 months in jail — to be the easiest charge for the state to prove." . . .

Rittenhouse Trial Day 10: Closing Arguments  "Today the court will instruct the jury, explaining to them how to apply the law to the facts of the case as they determine those facts to have been proven or disproven.  This will be followed by the State’s closing argument, the defense closing argument, and the State rebuttal.  At that point, the jury will begin its deliberations. Once the jury goes into deliberations, we will go into VERDICT WATCH mode, so keep your eyes right here for breaking news and analysis of the final verdict(s) in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial."...

Rittenhouse Analysis: State’s Weak Provocation Argument Is Still The Major Threat to Acquittal   "Notable: ADA Binger mentioned “provocation” zero times in his opening statement"

Andrew C. McCarthy: The Rittenhouse Jury-Instruction Process Is a Mess 

. . ."I fear this pre-summations reading of the jury instructions will end up being a confusing waste of time. In the summations, the lawyers are certain to make arguments that skew the law, as advocates are wont to do. That will provoke objections and more legal arguments, and will result in the judge having to give more instructions to address or cure what the lawyers have said." . . .