On Friday, a Wisconsin judge approved a measure to destroy the gun Kyle Rittenhouse used in the August 2020 protest shooting that left two people dead.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Rittenhouse, 18, agreed to the arrangement — which entails authorities destroying the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle at the state crime lab in April. During Friday’s hearing,Judge Bruce Schroeder also approved a measure that will allow Rittenhouse and his attorneys to keep nearly $1 million of the crowd-funded $2 million bail that was posted for him during his legal saga.
The Journal Sentinel reported that actor Ricky Schroder will get back the $150,000 he donated, while $920,000 will be paid, in trust, to Richards & Dimmer, the law firm that successfully defended Rittenhouse. Another $925,000 will go to the #FightBack Foundation, a conservative organization run by Georgia attorney Lin Wood.
Attorney Mark Richards did not say how much of the $920,000 would go directly to Rittenhouse, according to WDJT.
Rittenhouse claimed he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot demonstrators Anthony Huber, 26, and Joesph Rosenbaum, 36, and wounded a third man at a protest in Kenosha in August 2020.
A Kenosha County jury acquitted Rittenhouse, 19, in November of five counts, including homicide.
Earlier this month, Dominick Black, 20, agreed to plead no contest to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a non-criminal citation, for allegedly purchasing the AR-style rifle for Rittenhouse.
During Friday’s hearing, Richards expressed concern that Black — who reportedly expressed interest in taking the gun — would try to sell it for a six-figure payout.
“There was duel claims to the gun and he [Rittenhouse] didn’t want the gun being returned to Dominick Black and then have him sell it as Kyle Rittenhouse’s gun,” his attorney said, according to WDJT.
“We didn’t think anyone should profit from it.”
The Journal Sentinel reported that Rittenhouse did not attend Friday’s hearing. His attorney did not reveal where Rittenhouse lives, but he mentioned that the teen is interested in a possible “legal career.” During the trial last November, he testified that he was enrolled in a nursing program at Arizona State University, but the school said he was enrolled as a non-degree-seeking online student and was not enrolled in the nursing school.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most — your children.
[Featured image: Kyle Rittenhouse/Antioch Police Department, YouTube Video Screengrab]