This is going to be a very interesting trial.
A Wisconsin judge is setting the final ground rules for what evidence will be allowed at Kyle Rittenhouse's trial next week
abcnews.go.com
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Wisconsin judge laid out the final ground rules Monday on what evidence will be allowed when Kyle Rittenhouse goes on trial next week for shooting three people during a protest against police brutality, ruling he'll permit testimony from the defense's use-of-force expert and on how police welcomed Rittenhouse and others carrying guns during the demonstration."
"A Wisconsin judge on Monday ruled that prosecutors in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial cannot refer to the men he is accused of shooting as "victims."
Rittenhouse, 18, has been charged with shooting three people — two fatally — during a protest against police brutality last year, and his trial is set to start on Monday. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroder said in his Monday decision that he has a standard rule banning use of the word "victim" until a person is convicted of a crime,
USA Today reports.
He is more lenient when it comes to other words — Schroeder did not approve a request from Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, who asked that defense lawyers not be allowed to call the men "looters, rioters, arsonists, or any other pejorative term." Binger argued that there is no proof that the people who were shot had participated in looting, rioting, or arson, and those are even more "loaded" terms than the word "victim." Schroeder responded, "Let the evidence show what it shows."
Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, of Antioch, Illinois, was among a number of people who responded to calls on social media to take up arms and come to Kenosha to respond to the protests.
minnesota.cbslocal.com
"A Wisconsin judge laid out the final ground rules Monday on what evidence will be allowed when Kyle Rittenhouse goes on trial next week for shooting three people during a protest against police brutality, ruling he’ll permit testimony from the defense’s use-of-force expert and on how police welcomed Rittenhouse and others carrying guns during the demonstration."
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"Defense attorney Corey Chirafisi argued the video shows that police felt Rittenhouse wasn’t acting recklessly. Binger countered that the shootings happened after Rittenhouse interacted with the police, but Schroeder decided to allow the video.
“If the jury is being told, if the defendant is walking down the sidewalk and doing what he claims he was hired to do and police say good thing you’re here, is that something influencing the defendant and emboldening him in his behavior? That would be an argument for relevance,” the judge said.
Schroeder also denied Binger’s request to bar the defense from referring to Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz as rioters, looters or arsonists. The judge said those terms would be allowed if the defense can produce evidence showing that’s what they were.
Many conservatives have flocked to support Rittenhouse, calling him a patriot and making him a symbol for gun rights and raising $2 million for his bail. Others, including some liberals and activists, portray him as a domestic terrorist and say he made a volatile situation worse."