The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Rittenhouse lawyers ask judge to declare mistrial over video
KENOSHA, WIS. » Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorneys asked the judge on Wednesday to declare a mistrial, saying they received an inferior copy of a key video from prosecutors and would have approached things differently if they had received the higher quality video earlier.
Judge Bruce Schroeder did not immediately rule on the request, which came after jurors deliberating for a second day at Rittenhouse’s murder trial asked to review video evidence.
Defense attorney Corey Chirafisi said they initially received a compressed version of a video taken by drone that the prosecutors played for jurors during closing arguments. Prosecutors said it showed Rittenhouse pointing his gun at protesters before being chased by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent street protests against racial injustice in Kenosha in the summer of 2020.
Rittenhouse, 18, faces life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge for using an AR-style semi-automatic rifle to kill two men and wound a third. The former police youth cadet is white, as were those he shot.
Rittenhouse testified that he acted in self-defense, while prosecutors argued that he provoked the violence. The case has become a flashpoint in the U.S. debate over guns, racial-justice protests, vigilantism, and law and order.
Jurors were weighing charges against Rittenhouse for a second day after failing to reach a swift verdict Tuesday
on whether he was the instigator of the bloodshed or a concerned citizen who came under attack while trying to protect property.
About two hours into deliberations Wednesday, jurors asked to view video shown earlier in the trial.
Prosecutor Thomas Binger said they should be able to view any video they wanted as many times as they wanted, and the judge seemed to agree.
“Sometimes there is one piece of evidence that is absolutely critical . ... To me, if they want to watch it 100 times, that’s them,” Schroeder said.
But defense attorneys said they would object to the jury viewing the video taken by a drone that prosecutors played. The image prompted heated dispute earlier in the trial over technical questions about whether enlarging images
Chirafisi said they didn’t get the same quality of video until after the evidentiary portion of the case was closed. He said if we need a “level, fair playing field, we have to ask for it. And I’m asking for it.” He said the request would be made “without prejudice,” meaning prosecutors could try Rittenhouse again if the judge were to grant the request.
Prosecutors countered that the jury saw the highest quality version of the video during the trial and it was played without objection.
“We’re focusing too heavily on a technological glitch,” prosecutor James Kraus said, adding that it’s not the fault of prosecutors that the file got compressed when received by the defense.
Kraus said the video is key because the prosecution argues it proves that Rittenhouse lied on the stand when he said he didn’t point his rifle at protesters. Prosecutors argue that provoked protesters including Joseph Rosenbaum, who then chased Rittenhouse just before Rittenhouse shot and killed him.
“I do not believe ... an unknown technical incident should result in a mistrial,” Kraus said.
Both sides agreed with loading the videos that jurors wanted to see onto a computer for them to view in the jury room.
Schroeder said he had his “qualms” about admitting the video during the trial, but because it was shown in court “we might as well follow through with it and if they’ve got everything correct and reliable, then they won’t have a problem. If it isn’t, it’s going to be ugly.”
Earlier in the day, the judge said he would “think long and hard” about allowing televised trials in the future, taking exception to news stories about his decisions to not allow the men Rittenhouse shot to be called victims and to allow Rittenhouse to play a minor role in determining which jurors were alternates, and the fact that he had not yet ruled on a defense motion for a mistrial.