Rittenhouse hires new lawyer ahead of trial

Kyle Rittenhouse was present in court on Friday, and according to reports, he has retained a new attorney.

Rittenhouse was charged with killing two people during protests for Jacob Blake, the man shot by police last August in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse’s first in-person court hearing was Friday, per NBC News.

Rittenhouse retained Corey Chirafisi, a defense attorney based in Madison, on Friday. The new co-counsel will work alongside attorney Mark Richards, who was already representing the now 18-year-old who was 17 when he allegedly committed the crime.

“The government has two, and we wanted it to be fair,” said Richards to NBC News on Friday.

Read More: Wisconsin cop who shot Jacob Blake had service weapon stolen

Wearing a black mask and navy blue suit, Rittenhouse did not speak as attorneys discussed disclosure of defense witnesses and pretrial deadlines for jury questionnaires. The trial is expected to last two weeks and will start on Nov. 1.

Rittenhouse is due back in court on Sept. 17.

A video shows the then 17-year-old open fire on protesters Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Gaige Grosskreutz using an AR-15-style rifle. Grosskreutz survived, but Rosenbaum and Huber perished from their wounds.

Rittenhouse faces several felony counts, along with reckless homicide and reckless endangerment. He was also hit with a misdemeanor charge for being a minor and having a firearm.

Read More: Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial delayed at least 7 months, judge says

Last month theGrio reported that police officers and other officials donated funds in support of the teen. He was released on bail in November after his $2 million bond was paid for by conservative fundraisers.

Per a report by The Guardian, the data of a Christian crowdfunding website has been exposed. In addition, it has been revealed that public officials and law enforcement have been donating to fundraisers in support of far-right activists, vigilante murderers, and cops who are accused of shooting Black people.

The Whistleblower site Distributed Denial of Secrets shared the information.

Rittenhouse was able to raise $586,940 between August 27 and January 7 through the site GiveSendGo. The money was funded by public officials and police. One $25 donation included a note that said: “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

It continued with, “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”

The message and funds were traced back to Sgt. William Kelly of the Norfolk police department in Virginia. He serves as the executive officer of internal affairs. The emails of some donors were able to be traced back to the source.

Wisconsin police officers also donated to an account for “Support Rusten Sheskey,” the officer who shot and left Blake paralyzed. The emails of Green Bay, Wisconsin’s police department lieutenants were associated with two $20 donations to the Sheskey fund. Another donation was associated with a school resources officer Lieutenant Keith A Gehring.

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