“I Thought It Looked Cool.” Why Kyle Rittenhouse’s Defense Is as Sad as It Is Manipulative
Right out of the gate, I need to say that I’m not a lawyer. This article isn’t about the quality of Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense, and I’m not going to make any predictions as to the outcome of this case.
Those things are best left to other people with more expertise and, frankly, I’m more interested in what Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense says about the rest of us.
For those who don’t already know the details of the case, a quick summary. Kyle Rittenhouse is charged with several felonies, including first-degree-intentional-homicide, for shooting three people and killing two of them during BLM protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year.
His primary defense is that he was acting in self-defense when he fired his AR-15 rifle. Specifically, that he felt his life was being threatened by the protestors around him, and that his actions at that moment were justified by that fear.
On the other hand, prosecutors point out that Kyle Rittenhouse was not old enough to have legally obtained the gun he was carrying, that he drove from a different community, and crossed state lines from Illinois into Wisconsin, and arrived wearing body armor, to a protest that wouldn’t have affected him if he hadn’t made the intentional effort to be there.
