Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old student who is on trial for murder in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the Black Lives Matter riots last August 25, took the stand in his own defense on Wednesday morning in a surprising turn in the ongoing trial.
It is rare for defendants to take the stand in their own defense, because of the risk that they might be led into damaging testimony by the tactics of prosecution attorneys. It was unknown at the start of the day whether he would do so.
However, after the defense presented other witnesses, Rittenhouse took the stand, and said he had done so with the advice of counsel.
The prosecution had rested its case earlier in the week, after laying out the basic elements of the crimes with which Rittenhouse is accused.