Kyle Rittenhouse's mother speaks out following acquittal
Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams discusses the emotional verdict with Wendy Rittenhouse.
Kyle Rittenhouse's mother Wendy Rittenhouse told Fox News on Sunday that there's no "winning or losing" in the wake of her son's acquittal in the murder trial that gripped the nation for the past two weeks.
Wendy's 18-year-old son was on trial for first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment after shooting and killing two men and wounding another during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020 following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
His critics largely convicted him as a murderer, while the defendant and his legal team argued Kyle had been acting in self-defense. The jury found him not guilty on all charges Friday.
"It's not about winning or losing," Wendy told Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams. "There were two people that did pass away and families have grieved."
"He does have remorse," she said of her son, later adding, "He would have never went down there if this would have ever happened again. He would never."
Kyle Rittenhouse's mother Wendy Rittenhouse reacts to the verdict during her son's trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., November 19, 2021. (Sean Krajacic/Pool via REUTERS)
Asked what's next for Kyle now that he's a free man, Wendy said he wants to go to school, to play with his dog, and just be a "normal kid." She said it's "going to be different for him" because there are going to be people out there who "want to hurt him."
Rittenhouse was enrolled in Arizona State University prior to the trial.
Rittenhouse family spokesman David Hancock said outside the Kenosha courthouse on Friday that they plan to do "whatever it takes" to protect the teenager. He blasted critics who condemned Rittenhouse before the defense even began their presentation.
Liberal media pundits and politicians didn't hide their disappointment in the verdict. MSNBC host Tiffany Cross called Rittenhouse "this little murderous White supremacist," while her colleague Joy Reid accused him of benefitting from "White, male tears." As the trial got underway earlier this month, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., instructed the court to, "Lock up Kyle Rittenhouse and throw away the key."
Rittenhouse's critics, Hancock argued, "didn't want to admit the facts."
"He was dealt a lot of crappy cards and he stayed strong and his family stayed strong," Hancock said. "There were ups and downs and finally, after all this time, he's a free man."