Jury begins deliberations in Rittenhouse trial

By Mike Hayes, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 7:46 PM ET, Tue November 16, 2021

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10:36 a.m. ET, November 16, 2021

Final 12 jurors chosen by lottery in the Rittenhouse trial

From CNN's Mike Hayes

A raffle drum, that will be used to pick the numbers of the alternate jurors who will be excused when the Kyle Rittenhouse case goes to the jury, sits in the courtroom on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 in Kenosha, Wis. Judge Bruce Schroeder told jurors that he would select as many names as necessary from the tumbler to go from 18 down to 12 jurors. (Mark Hertzberg/Pool/AP)

The 12 jurors who will deliberate the case and reach a verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial have been selected.

This morning, before deliberations begin, six of the 18 jurors who heard the case were selected during a lottery held in the courtroom. The 18 potential jurors heard the evidence and testimony in the case so that alternates were available if jurors needed to be dismissed.

All the jurors' numbers were loaded into a tumbler and mixed around. Defendant Kyle Rittenhouse selected six numbers from the batch.

"All of the jurors' numbers have been exhibited to the defendant, I believe. They're paper clipped together now. Please put them in the tumbler and we'll rotate it and the defendant will draw six of the numbers," Judge Bruce Schroeder said.

The jurors whose numbers he selected were sent out of the courtroom. They will continue to serve as alternates. The clerk read off their numbers after Rittenhouse made his selections.

Rittenhouse reaches into the tumbler to pull out a juror number on Tuesday. (Pool)

"As I call your number, please stand up. Number 11. Number 58. Number 14. Number 45. Number 9. Number 52. Then if you'll follow the bailiff into the back room," the clerk said.

The 12 jurors are now beginning deliberations in the case. The alternates will remain at the courthouse during deliberations.

10:10 a.m. ET, November 16, 2021

Jury in Rittenhouse trial will begin deliberations today

The jury in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse will begin deliberations today.

The panel of 18 jurors, eight men and 10 women, will be narrowed down to the 12 by a random drawing using a raffle tumbler this morning. The 12 jurors selected randomly will then deliberate the case.

On Monday, jurors were asked to report back to court at 10 a.m. ET today.

10:14 a.m. ET, November 16, 2021

Key moments from dueling closing arguments in the Rittenhouse trial

From CNN's Eric Levenson, Carma Hassan and Brad Parks

Defense attorney Mark Richards gives his closing argument in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Monday. (Sean Krajacic/Pool/Getty Images)

Kyle Rittenhouse provoked the fatal shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year by pointing his AR-15-style weapon at Joseph Rosenbaum, prosecutors said Monday in closing arguments of his homicide trial.

"That is what provokes this entire incident," prosecutor Thomas Binger said. "When the defendant provokes this incident, he loses the right to self-defense. You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create."

In response, defense attorney Mark Richards said Rittenhouse did not act recklessly when he fatally shot Rosenbaum, who Richards argued had threatened him, chased him, thrown a plastic bag at him and lunged for his gun.

"When my client shot Joseph Rosenbaum, he feared for his life. He feared because of his prior threats, prior statements and the violent acts that had been witnessed by my client," Richards said.

The dueling closing arguments, which took up most of Monday, came at the end of a two-week trial highlighted by emotional and illuminating testimony from Rittenhouse himself, who said he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Rosenbaum.

A crowd of people then pursued the teenager, and Rittenhouse testified he shot in self-defense at a man who tried to kick him; fatally shot Anthony Huber, who had hit him with a skateboard; and shot Gaige Grosskreutz, who was armed with a pistol. Rosenbaum and Huber were killed, and Grosskreutz was wounded.

The group of 18 jurors will be narrowed to 12 this morning and will then begin deliberating in the case.

Earlier Monday, Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed a misdemeanor weapons charge against Rittenhouse, now 18. He still faces five felony charges and, if convicted on the most serious charge, could face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Schroeder also read a set of legal instructions to the jury members and informed them they will be allowed to consider lesser included offenses for two of the five counts.

The trial featured more than a dozen videos from the night of August 25, 2020, showing what happened before, during and after the shootings. Most of the facts of what happened that night were not up for debate — rather, the heart of the trial was the analysis of Rittenhouse's actions and whether they can be considered "reasonable."

The prosecution rested its case last Tuesday and the defense rested Friday.