EXPLAINER: Does Kyle Rittenhouse need to testify?

By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Attorneys in self-defense cases typically encourage their clients to testify. But Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial is anything but typical, and it’s still unclear whether the Illinois man will take the stand. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting three people during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year. He has argued he fired in self-defense after the men attacked him. Self-defense cases hinge on whether defendants can show they acted reasonably. Several legal experts said that witnesses at Rittenhouse’s trial have portrayed the men he shot as the aggressors so well that he doesn’t need to testify.