Judge: Prosecutors Can’t Call Men Killed By Kyle Rittenhouse ‘Victims’
A Wisconsin judge has ruled that the men killed by Kyle Rittenhouse in August of 2020 should be referred to as “looters” and “rioters” during Rittenhouse’s trial, but attorneys must refrain from using the word “victim” when speaking about the men he killed.
“Let the evidence show what the evidence shows, that any or one of these people were engaged in arson, rioting or looting, then I’m not going to tell the defense they can’t call them that,” Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder said during the pre-trial hearing per CNN.
Per the outlet, this is apparently a “longstanding rule” in Schroeder’s rulings, claiming that he does not allow prosecutors to use the terms “victims” at trial.
Rittenhouse has been charged with felony homicide relating to the shooting and killing of Anthony M. Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and felony attempted homicide for allegedly wounding Gaige Grosskreutz during the August 2020 protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Rittenhouse is also being charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, but since he was 17 at the time of the shooting court records count the charge as a misdemeanor, per the outlet.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
