KENOSHA, Wis. — Kyle Rittenhouse took the witness stand in his own defense on Wednesday. At times he calmly explained his actions during last year’s mayhem in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and other moments he sobbed uncontrollably as he described the activity that led up to the shootings.
“I did what I had to do to stop the person who was attacking me by killing them,” he said during testimony, which also contained fiery exchanges by the trial’s judge and lead prosecutor, Law Officer reported.
Meanwhile, Rittenhouse’s attorneys asked the judge to declare a mistrial over the prosecution’s line of questioning, according to the New York Post.
Rittenhouse, 18, broke down as he began to explain getting “cornered” outside one of the car businesses that he was defending from protesters before he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum 36, on Aug. 25, 2020.
“That’s when I run,” Rittenhouse barely got out before becoming overwhelmed with emotion and unable to continue.
As a result, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder called a recess to allow Rittenhouse to collect himself.
The teen faces six charges, including intentional homicide for killing Rosenbaum and another man, Anthony Huber, 26, as well as wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 27.
Groskreutz testified Tuesday that he approached Rittenhouse with a weapon drawn, claiming he thought the defendant was an “active shooter.” Groskreutz also admitted to giving investigators false information about dropping his firearm, Law Officer reported.
Under cross-examination, Rittenhouse appeared defiant and insisted he didn’t intend to kill any of the three victims, according to the Post.
“I didn’t intend to kill them. I intended to stop the people who were attacking me,” Rittenhouse testified. “I did what I had to do to stop the person who was attacking me by killing them.”
After fatally shooting Rosenbaum, he approached a man on a street asking for help, acknowledging that he just shot someone.
“I remember telling him that I just shot somebody and I need help to get to the police because there … was now a crowded mob chasing me,” he said.
His attorney, Mark Richards, asked why he wanted to go to the police. Rittenhouse said he believed he “didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I defended myself,” he said.
Rittenhouse testified that Rosenbaum had threatened to kill him twice the night of the triple shooting, the Post reported.
“He screamed, ‘If I catch any of you alone, I’m going to f–king kill you,’” he told the jurors.
According to his testimony, Rosenbaum was walking with a steel chain and appeared to be “mad about something.”
“I saw him tip that trailer over,” Rittenhouse added, saying he also believes he saw him try to ignite a Port-a-Potty.
“I’m going to cut your f–king hearts out,” Rittenhouse attributes to his alleged attacker.
“And I’m not going to repeat the second word, but ‘kill you N-words,’” Rittenhouse said.
Rittenhouse testified that he heard a shot fired and turned around to find Rosenbaum charging at him with his hands out in front.
“I remember his hand on the barrel of my gun,” Rittenhouse said.
Rittenhouse believes he fired his weapon four times — and lingered around Rosenbaum’s body before other people began shouting, “Get his a–, get his a– and get him.”
While trying to flee from the mob, Huber, struck him twice with a skateboard, then tried to grab the rifle strapped to his body, he said.
“He grabs my gun and I can feel it pulling away from me,” he said, adding that he felt “the strap starting to come off my body.”
“What did you do then?” his attorney asked.
“I shot him,” Rittenhouse replied.
Rittenhouse said when he lowered his weapon, his third victim, Grosskreutz, “lunges at me with his pistol pointed directly at my head” and he shot him too.
The testimony on Wednesday was interrupted due to irritable exchanges between Schroeder and lead prosecutor Thomas Binger, Law Officer reported.
Schroeder rebuked Binger for initiating a line of questioning that sought to introduce testimony the judge had earlier said he would not allow.
“You know very well that an attorney can’t go into these types of areas where the judge has already ruled without asking outside of the presence of the jury to do so, so don’t give me that,” Schroeder admonished.
The judge accused Binger of attempting to provoke a mistrial in the case with his line of questioning.
The prosecutor claimed he was trying to impeach the testimony of Rittenhouse.
Moments earlier, the judge and prosecutor already had testy exchange when Binger commented on Rittenhouse exercising his 5th Amendment Right.
“I was astonished when you began your examination by commenting on the defendant’s post-arrest silence,” Schroeder, who called the move on the border of a “grave constitutional violation,” shouted at Binger.
“That’s basic law. It’s been basic law in this country for 40 or 50 years … You’re an experienced trial lawyer, and this should not have been gone into.”
“There better not be another incident,” Schroeder said.
However, the defense requested a mistrial with prejudice, meaning the state wouldn’t be able to retry the teen.
Rittenhouse’s attorneys accused Binger of “prosecutorial overreach,” saying his line of questioning should not have touched on topics such as his right to remain silent post-arrest.
“I think the court has to make some findings as it relates to the bad faith on the part of the prosecution, and if the court makes a finding that the actions that I had talked about were done in bad faith,” defense attorney Corey Chirafisi said.
The judge only agreed to take the motion under advisement, saying he wanted to give prosecutors a chance to respond, the Post reported.
If convicted of intentional homicide, which is the state’s equivalent of first-degree murder, Rittenhouse faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
