Prosecutor argues Kyle Rittenhouse should have run away instead of shooting Joseph Rosenbaum

Prosecutor Thomas Binger opened his closing argument by telling the jury that he will keep his summary of the state’s case against Kyle Rittenhouse “as simple as possible.” 

“This is a case in which a 17-year-old teenager killed two unarmed men and severely wounded a third person with an AR-15 that did not belong to him,” he said. 

Binger said that what happened on August 25, 2020, isn’t a situation where Rittenhouse was “protecting his home or his family.” 

“He killed people after traveling here from Antioch, Illinois, and staying out after a citywide curfew,” Binger added.

Binger was interrupted by the defense who objected to his mention of the curfew. “There’s no curfew charge anymore,” defense attorney Mark Richards said. The judge noted that “there had been an announced curfew so I’ll leave it at that.” 

Binger continued: “Although the defendant claimed to be protecting a business that he wasn’t familiar with, the actual killings, in this case, had nothing to do with that and he also spent the entire evening lying about the fact that he was an EMT.” 

“None of the things that I just told you are in doubt in this case,” Binger said.

He asked the jury to consider Rittenhouse’s motivations for being in Kenosha that night.

Binger reminded the jury they all agreed to “keep an open mind” and told the attorneys that they didn’t have any “preconceived notions” about the case. 

“Now you’ve heard the evidence and it’s time to search for the truth,” he said.

The prosecution’s closing argument is ongoing.