Abi Hilden, staff writer

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has come to a close this past week, with Rittenhouse being acquitted of all charges. The one misdemeanor charge was dismissed by Judge Bruce Shroeder, a charge that many saw as the most likely to be convicted. The final verdict cannot be appealed.

Jurors in the trial deliberated for about 27 hours over the course of four days before deciding on a not guilty verdict on all counts. As the verdict was read on Friday, Nov. 19th, many jurors appeared to be fatigued and exhausted from the stakes of the high-profile, polarizing trial.

A wide array of responses, many in favor of the verdict and many not, have been shared in the days following the trial. Judge Bruce Shroeder thanked the jury and praised them for the verdict, saying that he couldn’t have asked for a better jury. 

Others, such as the family of Anthony Huber, who was killed by Rittenhouse, believe that the verdict sends a clear message. “It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street,” Huber’s parents, John Huber and Karen Bloom, said to CNN after the trial’s verdict was announced. 

Part of the publicity of this trial were the many controversial events that took place. Headlines were made by things like Judge Schroeder barring the word “victim” in relation to those killed by Rittenhouse, the defense calling for a mistrial on two separate occasions, an emotional testimony from Rittenhouse himself and the banning of MSNBC from the courtroom after an incident involving a person claiming to be staff and the jurors in the trial. 

The prosecution have taken a disappointed stance in terms of the trial’s verdict. Lead prosecutor Thomas Binger has called for the jury’s decision to be respected, although he believes the outcome is disappointing. The defense have spoken about how ecstatic they are about the outcome, hoping that Rittenhouse can now return to some semblance of normalcy and anonymity in his life.

Rittenhouse has a possible future in politics, as United States Representative for Florida’s 1st Congressional District, Matt Gaetz, intends to offer a congressional internship for his office to the teen. Gaetz has additionally stated he believes Rittenhouse deserved the not guilty verdict.

Although this controversial trial has seemingly come to a close, the public eye will continue to be on Rittenhouse for the near future. Normalcy and anonymity may wait for Rittenhouse due to a documentary being created and produced by Tucker Carlson of Fox News. The documentary will follow Rittenhouse through the trial, even though it was filmed without the consent of the defense in the trial. It is set to premiere in December on the Fox News streaming service Fox Nation.