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EXPLAINER: Could jury weigh lesser charges for Rittenhouse?

Kyle Rittenhouse
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors in Kyle Rittenhouse's murder trial could ask the jury to consider less serious charges in a trade-off that could help get a conviction but would ensure that he wouldn't receive a life sentence.

Rittenhouse is accused of shooting three people, two fatally, during an August 2020 protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He faces multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, which is punishable by life in prison.

Rittenhouse says he fired in self-defense and prosecutors have struggled as multiple witnesses painted the men who were shot as the aggressors.

Daniel Adams, a former Milwaukee prosecutor who isn't involved in the case, says the prosecutors trying it will likely ask jurors to consider second-degree intentional homicide charges.

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