Sending Rittenhouse to Wisconsin would ‘ turn him over to the mob,’ lawyers claim
Sending a 17- year- old accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to stand trial in Wisconsin would “turn him over to the mob,” defense attorneys argued in court records Thursday.
Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested at his home in Antioch, Illinois, a day after prosecutors say he shot and killed two protesters and injured a third on the streets of Kenosha on Aug. 25. He has been held in Illinois since then after his attorneys indicated late last month that they planned to fight his extradition to Wisconsin.
Attorneys for Rittenhouse argued in the document filed in Lake County Court late on Thursday that he was acting in self- defense and sending him to Wisconsin authorities would violate his constitutional rights. They also argue that Wisconsin prosecutors and Illinois authorities didn’t follow legal technicalities required for extradition.
While Rittenhouse’s arrest has become a rallying point for some on the right, others see Rittenhouse as a domestic terrorist whose presence with a rifle incited the protesters.
A Kenosha County prosecutor didn’t immediately respond to an email after hours about the extradition paperwork.
Extradition is typically a straightforward process, and legal experts have expressed doubt that Rittenhouse’s attorneys could successfully prevent a court from sending him to Wisconsin to face charges there.