Wisconsin v. Rittenhouse & Georgia v. McMichael

Recently, two very significant verdicts came down in trials that captured national attention.

First, Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with multiple counts of murder for killing two people (and seriously injuring a third) during the Kenosha, Wisconsin protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.  Rittenhouse, a 17 year old armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, was with a local “militia,” until he got separated and ultimately ended up firing his gun into three separate people.

Second, Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddy” Bryan were put on trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia.  The three men claimed that Arbery had been burglarizing a construction site in their neighborhood, and attempted to stop him.  The encounter ended up with three shotgun shots being fired, and Arbery dying in the middle of the road.

Both Kyle Rittenhouse and Travis McMichael (the individual who actually shot Arbery) claimed self-defense.  In this episode, we examine the evidence in both of these cases through the lens of what the requirements are to argue self-defense in each particular state.  Paul provides his thoughts on why one claim was accepted by the jury, and one claim was not.

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