Accused murderer Kyle Rittenhouse has reportedly added a new lawyer to his defense team leading up to his trial. Madison, Wisconsin-based attorney Corey Chirafisi will work alongside Rittenhouse's other defense attorney, Mark Richards.
"The government has two, and we wanted it to be fair," Richards told NBC News.
Chirafisi and Richards appeared together in court for the first time on Friday. The prosecution and defense discussed potential jury questionnaires and the disclosure of defense witnesses. Dressed in a navy suit and black mask, Rittenhouse looked on, but did not make any public remarks before the court.
Rittenhouse currently faces multiple counts of reckless homicide and reckless endangerment connected to a fatal shooting last August. Following the shooting of Jacob Blake Jr., Rittenhouse is accused of driving from Illinois to Wisconsin in response to a social media post seeking help protecting businesses from demonstrators. During his trip to Wisconsin, video shows him opening fire on three people using an AR-15 style rifle. This shooting led to the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. Gaige Grosskreutz was also hit and wounded, but he did survive.
“I was shot point-blank with a .223 round from the shooter,” Grosskreutz told CNN in September.
“And I am now missing 90% of my bicep. This has not been easy emotionally, physically. I’m in constant pain, like excruciating pain that just doesn’t go away — both in my arm, in my heart.”
In spite of video evidence and first-hand witness testimony, the Illinois teenager has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Rittenhouse claims that he acted in self-defense and is currently out of jail on $2 million bail. He is set to appear in court again on September 17.
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