Teen fights extradition in Kenosha deaths

WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- The 17-year-old charged in the shooting deaths of two protesters in Wisconsin is fighting his extradition from Illinois, but legal experts say there isn't much the teen can do to stop it.

Kyle Rittenhouse surrendered to police in his hometown of Antioch, Ill., a day after prosecutors say he shot and killed two protesters and wounded a third on the streets of Kenosha on Aug. 25. If convicted of one of the most serious charges he faces, he would be sentenced to life in prison.

Rittenhouse's attorneys have said he acted in self-defense and have portrayed him as a patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during a night of unrest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black.

Rittenhouse appeared via video for a hearing in a Lake County, Ill., court on Friday, where his attorney asked for more time to prepare his arguments against extradition, without detailing what they would be. Rittenhouse, wearing a mask, said only "Good morning, your honor" during a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes.

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One of Rittenhouse's attorneys, John Pierce, made clear that he is opposing Rittenhouse's return to Wisconsin to face the charges. Pierce asked for a month to prepare arguments challenging extradition that he said involve "issues of some complexity, frankly that have not arisen in the country for some time."

Judge Paul Novak gave the defense 14 days to review papers and file pleadings ahead of an Oct. 9 hearing -- the second such delay that has been granted to Rittenhouse. Whatever the judge rules can be appealed.

Mike Nerheim, the Lake County state's attorney, said after the hearing that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker had signed a warrant to return Rittenhouse to Wisconsin after a request from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow Democrat. Pierce asked for a chance to review the warrant, which Nerheim said he had received Friday morning.

Nerheim said in his 20 years as an attorney, he's never seen anyone fight extradition after the governor signed a warrant for it. Nerheim said he didn't know on what basis Rittenhouse would challenge extradition.

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"We're ready to proceed," he said.

Extradition cases are rarely fought, but when they are the defendant has to do it through a habeas corpus proceeding, said Cecelia Klingele, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. That means Rittenhouse would have to argue that he is being illegally detained, she said.

"We just don't know what the basis of the legal challenge is going to be," she said.

Pierce also asked the judge to be allowed to bring a laptop into the juvenile detention facility in Vernon Hills where Rittenhouse is being held, despite a ban on electronic equipment, so they could review video evidence together from the night of the shootings. Novak said he would consider it.

Rittenhouse, who is white, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the killing of two white demonstrators and attempted intentional homicide in the wounding of a third. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of underage firearm possession for wielding a semi-automatic rifle. If convicted of first-degree homicide, he would face a mandatory life prison sentence.

According to prosecutors and court documents, Rittenhouse shot and killed 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum, of Kenosha, after Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag at Rittenhouse, missing him, and tried to wrestle his rifle away.

While trying to get away in the immediate aftermath, Rittenhouse was captured on cellphone video saying "I just killed somebody." According to the complaint filed by prosecutors, someone in the crowd said, "Beat him up!" and another yelled, "Get him! Get that dude!"

Video shows that Rittenhouse tripped in the street as he was being chased by demonstrators. As he was on the ground, 26-year-old Anthony Huber, of Silver Lake, hit him with a skateboard and tried to take his rifle away. Rittenhouse opened fire, killing Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, of West Allis, who was holding a handgun.

Information for this article was contributed by Bernard Condon of The Associated Press.