“For there to be a murder conviction in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, two things have to happen: Jurors must feel intimidated into rendering a guilty verdict and prosecutors must convince those jurors of a version of events that directly contradicts eye-witness testimony and what is plainly seen on video.”
For there to be a murder conviction in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, two things have to happen: Jurors must feel intimidated into rendering a guilty verdict and prosecutors must convince those jurors of a version of events that directly contradicts eye-witness testimony and what is plainly seen on video.
The intimidation factor is already in the bag. Multiple jurors expressed this week that they believed that “half the country will be up in arms” regardless of the trial’s outcome, that they were “afraid of our community and the outsiders of our community that are coming in,” and wondering “Am I gonna get home safe?”
The second half is a little trickier, but damned if the state isn’t already trying. In his opening argument on Tuesday, Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger painted a wild version of events that isn’t even close to what’s in the state’s original criminal complaint against Rittenhouse.
By Eddie Scarry
