Kyle Rittenhouse trial: Kenosha prepares for unrest as legal teams to give closing arguments

Judge Schroeder’s “God Bless the USA” ringtone interrupted the trial twice on Friday, causing him to appear to lose his train of thought.

The ringtone - Lee Greenwood’s patriotic anthem - spurred controversy the first time on Wednesday during Mr Rittenhouse’s testimony.

Viewers sounding off on Twitter were quick to note that the song has been heavily used at former President Donald Trump’s rallies.

The prosecution pulled up video of Mr Rittenhouse shooting Mr Rosenbaum during a discussion of provocation. Prosecutors say the footage shows Mr Rittenhouse pointed his gun at Mr Rosenbaum first, while the defence says the opposite sequence occurred.

Judge Schroeder asked to review video of the shooting in a bid to determine its reliability after the defence previously claimed it could be distorted by iPad’s “pinch to zoom” feature.

Mr Rittenhouse stood in the courtroom to watch Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney James Kraus walk through the footage frame by frame.

Judge Schroeder ruled in favour of the prosecution, allowing for a provocation instruction.

Rittenhouse, 18, is currently on trial for homicide over the shooting of three people at a protest against police brutality in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 25 August 2020.

The rally against injustice that took place that night was organised in solidarity with a local Black man, Jacob Blake, who had been shot and left paralysed by a white police officer two days earlier following a confrontation after his SUV was stopped.

The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad explains the case:

Judge Schroeder addressed Mr Rittenhouse directly to ensure that he understood the implications of the lesser charges discussed earlier.

Mr Rittenhouse replied in the affirmative and said he had discussed the topic with his attorneys.

Asked if he is of sound mind, Mr Rittenhouse said yes. He said he had not been pressured in any way in regards to the judge’s questions.

Asked if he had ever been treated for mental illness, Mr Rittenhouse’s attorneys clarified that he is in therapy for PTSD from the shootings.

With that, Judge Schroeder concluded the day’s proceedings.

With Friday’s hearing finished, both sides with have until Monday to prepare their closing arguments.

Before adjourning on Thursday night, Judge Schroeder urged the lawyers on both sides to keep their closings short and sweet.

The judge requested that each side’s finale be limited to 90 minutes, but prosecutor Thomas Binger pushed back that he needed two and a half hours. Judge Schroeder agreed, but not without offering some words of advice.

Quoting an accomplished federal judge, Judge Schroeder said that “the brain cannot absorb what the seat cannot endure.” He then quoted Franklin Roosevelt, who he said had once advised a speaker to “be sincere, be brief, and be seated.”

Mr Rittenhouse took the stand in his murder trial Wednesday, testifying about how he shot three men during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha last year.

Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz. He faces multiple charges, including intentional homicide. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, has argued that the men attacked him and he fired in self-defence.

Here’s a look at some highlights from his testimony:

Prosecutors called more than a dozen witnesses over six days of testimony - some appearing to help the defence more than the state.

The onus was on prosecutors to counter Mr Rittenhouse’s claim that he acted in self-defence when he shot three protesters - two fatally - on 25 August 2020.

The Associated Press recaps the state’s case:

Ben & Jerry’s decried the Kyle Rittenhouse trial as proof that America’s justice system is racist in a tweet on Thursday.

“The #RittenhouseTrial displays yet again that our ‘justice’ system is racist,” the tweet read. “How would this trial be going if he was a Black 17 yr old that crossed state lines illegally carrying an AR-15 and shot 3 white protesters?

“We need real justice in this legal system. This isn’t it.”

Mr Rittenhouse’s attorney informed the court that the teen has been in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the night of the shootings toward the end of Friday’s hearing.

The disclosure came as Mr Rittenhouse was asked to confirm his sound mental state as he waived his right to overrule his attorneys in regards to jury instructions.

“Have you ever been treated for a mental and emotional disorder?” Judge Schroeder asked.

After a brief silence, defence attorney Mark Richards chimed in: “His pause is — was, I believe, because he’s in therapy. I don’t think he has a mental illness or anything. As a result of this incident, he has PTSD.”

Mr Rittenhouse then spoke up to affirm that his judgment was not affected.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Friday authorised 500 National Guard service members to support local law enforcement preparing for potential unrest over the Rittenhouse trial.

“We continue to be in close contact with our partners at the local level to ensure the state provides support and resources to help keep the Kenosha community and greater area safe,” the governor’s office wrote in a press release.

Kenosha, with a population of fewer than 200,000 people, is “strong, resilient, and has come together through incredibly difficult times,” he added. “That healing is still ongoing.”

He is urging people who are not from the area to “respect the community” and avoid travelling, and for potential protesters to “exercise their First Amendment rights ... safely and peacefully”.

The Independent’s Alex Woodward reports: