Kyle Rittenhouse: Jury ends 1st day of deliberations in murder trial without verdict

The high-profile case pits the prosecution's argument that Rittenhouse shot two men without justification, against the teenager's assertion that he acted in self-defense.

The jury in the Wisconsin murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse ended their first day of deliberations on Tuesday without reaching a verdict, pushing their efforts to form a consensus on whether to convict or acquit the teenager into a second day.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, on Aug. 25, 2020. The shootings took place during protests in Kenosha – marred by arson, rioting and looting – that followed the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.

After roughly eight hours of deliberations, Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder said he would accept the jury’s request to call it a day and come back at 9 a.m. Central Time (1500 GMT) on Wednesday.

“I understand that you wish to break for the evening,” Schroeder said. “You are in charge at this particular point.”

The jury of 7 women and 5 men sent two notes to the judge on Tuesday, neither giving any indication of the substance of their discussions. The first note asked for extra copies of the first six pages of the judge’s 36-page jury instructions and the second requested copies of the final 30 pages.

The high-profile case pits the prosecution’s argument that Rittenhouse shot the men without justification, against the teenager’s assertion that he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse faces life in prison on the most serious count.

At the start of Tuesday, Rittenhouse played an indirect role in whittling down the jury, which was composed of 18 members through two weeks of testimony, to 12 for deliberations. He selected six pieces of paper out of a metal raffle tumbler, each with the number of a juror who was then designated an alternate.

Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty and took the stand last week to argue that he only fired his weapon after the men attacked him. He said Rosenbaum, the first person he shot that night, grabbed the barrel of his semi-automatic rifle.