After the first day of jury deliberation, family spokesperson Dave Hancock stated that Kyle Rittenhouse is “staying strong” and “positive,” noting that the Rittenhouse team does not believe anything can be inferred from the jury’s deliberation time at this point. A verdict is expected soon.
Regarding the jury and whether they expect a fair trial, Hancock expressed some concern that it was “impossible [for potential jurors] to not consume media” about the case before jury selection. Still, the Rittenhouse team feels confident that “a lot of truths that have come out over the past two weeks,” adding “there’s a lot of things said about Kyle that just were fundamentally untrue and the truth has come to light since then.”
While stopping short of making any bold predictions about the case, Hancock did say he believes the prosecution may have made a real misstep in changing their narrative over the course of the trial. “They went through three different versions of what their case was throughout this trial and we’re hoping the jury noticed that, and we believe they did.”
Hancock was emphatic that the Rittenhouse team was encouraged to see certain details come to light that he says were previously misrepresented in the media. After a year of silence, Rittenhouse himself was “itching” to speak on the witness stand. “He’s never been afraid to go on the stand because that is his opportunity to…say his story.”
In describing Rittenhouse, Hancock states that he “was never a super political kid.” However, in light of the events unfolding over the past year, Hancock now believes Rittenhouse has become more fully aware of the politics surrounding his situation.
“When he was 17, he was a ‘police explorer’ so he supported the police, he was a fire cadet, so he supported the fire department. He never really jumped on the politics train, but the politics train sure as hell jumped on [him]…He’s seen his image get pushed around and called these horrific names that are not based on anything, so he gets the political aspect of it now…He’s well attuned to what’s been happening over the past year.”
When asked how Rittenhouse has responded to accusations of racism and white supremacy, Hancock states that “it bothers him deeply, because being called a white supremacist is deeply antithetical to who he is.” The Rittenhouse team has speculated that the timing of the election was a significant factor in the development of certain media narratives relating to race.
When asked directly about Rittenhouse’s rumored association with right-wing militias, Hancock was emphatic that the broadly circulated claims are not factual. “He was never part of a militia, he didn’t answer a ‘call to arms,’ [he] never visited a page, he didn’t even know what the term meant.”
As for Rittenhouse, Hancock states, “he is doing well. He’s ready to get his life started and move past all of this.”