The judge in Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial Monday dismissed a count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, the charge which seemed to be the most likely for which prosecutors would get a conviction.
As previously reported by Human Events News, Rittenhouse is the teen who killed two men and wounded a third while attempting to help a Kenosha, Wisconsin business during the riots in August of 2020. Rittenhouse is accused of six serious counts and one offense of breaking curfew.
The judge’s ruling came as he gave jury instructions Monday morning, explaining the charges and the laws of self-defense. The two sides began delivering closing arguments in the afternoon, Just the News reports.
The most serious charge against Rittenhouse is first-degree intentional homicide.
There is no dispute that Rittenhouse was 17 when he carried an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and used it.
But, the defense argued Wisconsin law has an exception related to the length of a weapon’s barrel. Prosecutors argued that the defense was misreading the statute.
Judge Bruce Shroeder had twice sided with prosecutors earlier in declining to dismiss the charge, but he also said the law was confusingly written.
