Kyle R. killed two people on the sidelines of a Black Lives Matter demonstration when he was 17. Now an acquittal is also emerging because of the judge.
Kenosha – Pretty much is going pretty well for Kyle R at the moment. The teenager on trial in Wisconsin for allegedly killing two people on the sidelines of a Black Lives Matter demonstration can hope for an acquittal. Statements by eyewitnesses, whose statements support the defense strategy, according to which R. fired in self-defense, contribute primarily to this.
This is also due to the fact that judge Bruce Schroeder has so far conducted a litigation that puts tight shackles on the public prosecutor’s office. In the run-up to the trial, Schroeder had forbidden the men Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, who were fatally wounded on August 25, 2020 when the 17-year-old was shot, to be called “victims”. Judge Schroeder, however, granted the defense the right to call the protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement “rioters” and “looters”.
Now other smaller details are being considered that could put Judge Schroeder in a certain light. The 75-year-old, who has been a district judge since 1983, has a reputation for issuing tough judgments in the Kenosha District Court, according to the New York Times. He is known for lecturing would-be jury members on their civic duty and comparing their role in the process with the service of American soldiers in Vietnam.
“God Bless The USA” – Judge Schroeder has the “Trump anthem” as a ringtone
He is skeptical of the media. He has repeatedly complained publicly about alleged bias in the press. In the run-up to the trial, Schroeder said he had never heard of the “Proud Boys”. These are the extreme right-wing thugs that Kyle R. offered their protection after the shooting in Kenosha. And those whom Donald Trump had ennobled in the 2020 election campaign with a kind of marching order.
And Richard Schroeder gave further reasons for skepticism when he leafed through a recipe booklet for biscuits during the hearing. Or when a call came in on his smartphone during the process and the ringtone “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood could be heard. The song is now considered a kind of stadium song by Trump fans. No Donald Trump appearance goes by without the song, released in 1984, crashing out of the sound system.
In the process itself, Schroeder, who was installed as district judge in 1983 by the then Governor of Wisconsin Anthony Earl, a Democrat, and from then on re-elected as best he can. Several times, however, he suddenly almost runs out of skin, sharply put the public prosecutor in their place.
Judge Bruce Schroeder upsets prosecutors
The prosecution previously cross-examined Kyle R. for hours. They asked the now 18-year-old about every little detail of the Kenosha shootings. Your goal is to prove to the jury that R. got the ball rolling. Finally, the teenager showed up illegally with a machine gun. His militant demeanor ensured that the demonstrators tried to disarm him.
Judge Bruce Schroeder upsets senior prosecutor Thomas Binger. He had previously brought up repeatedly that R. had initially remained silent about the act. Schroeder informed the public prosecutor that this was his right.
Initially, R’s defense complained that Binger had addressed the defendant’s silence despite the right to remain silent. Binger admits: “Yes, that was out of the emotion, I am aware of that.” Then he adds: “Besides, the court left a door open there.” Schroder interrupts Binger and yells: “For me. Not for you.”
Kyle R trial: Judge Schroeder yells at the defense
Binger wants to start again, the chairman interrupts him again: “I was astonished that you started your interrogation with a comment on the silence of the accused after the arrest. That is the Basic Law. This has been the basic law in this country for 40 or 50 years. I have no idea why you should be doing this. And that does … “, he interrupts himself,” let’s leave it at that. “
Binger starts another attempt and wants to present further evidence that R. had already directed against people before the shooting. Among other things, it is about the statement of a “man in yellow trousers”, at whom R. pointed the gun, but is said to have lowered it again. Again judge Schroeder is loud. What the prosecutor is taking to bring evidence to the jury that has not been discussed with the court beforehand.
Rs defender Corey Chirafisi then tries to seize the opportunity. Binger’s questions are a deliberate attempt to get a new edition before another court. He then applied for the process to be discontinued and accused Binger of deliberately making process errors. Should his application go through, the process would actually end suddenly. And not only that: Since nobody in the USA can be tried twice for the same crime in the same court, R. would be a free man. Although there would not be a formal acquittal, in this case the 18-year-old could no longer be prosecuted for the fatal shots by Kenosha.
Case Kyle R .: Defense starts to swim
But Schroeder is not the only problem facing the prosecutor. Your own witnesses testify that undermine the prosecutor’s trial strategy. One witness, Richard McGinnis, testified, for example, that Rosenbaum pursued R. and picked up a rifle when R. shot him. Another witness, Ryan Balch, described Rosenbaum as “hyper-aggressive”.
And even the third man who Kyle R. also shot at the time of the crime, Gaige Großkreutz, is not doing the public prosecutor a real favor. First he testified that he had “never tried” to kill R. But then he stated that he believed that Huber had tried to harm R. He himself admitted in cross-examination that he had pointed his weapon at R.
Experts suspect an acquittal for Kyle R.
The glamorous court journalist Elie Mystal, a long-time expert on the US judicial system, sees little chance that R. could be held accountable for his fatal shots. MSNBC host Tiffany Cross asked Mystal on Twitter if it would be possible to replace this “clearly biased” judge.
Mystal’s answer: “Realistically, this is not possible. He is elected. Even if he is later disciplined by the state (which will not happen), that does not change anything in this procedure. ”The expert continues:“ And if he gets away with it, he cannot be tried again because of the principle of ‘not twice in one matter’ will. As I said two weeks ago, they let R. go. “(Mirko Schmid)
