Kyle Rittenhouse has said that Johnny Depp’s defamation win is ‘fuelling’ his own trial hopes.
Rittenhouse was acquitted after fatally shooting two people and injuring a third during anti-racism riots in Wisconsin in August 2020, when he was age 17.
The teenager killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, as well as wounding Gaige Grosskreutz during the protest in Kenosha, but was cleared of all charges, including murder, after arguing that he fired his gun in self-defence.
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Now, the 19-year-old appeared to be inspired by Depp’s court case win and has encouraged others to ‘fight back against the lies in the media’.
Taking to Twitter, Kyle shared a link to the organisation The Media Accountability Project, which was ‘organised to assist Kyle Rittenhouse with legal costs associated with holding the media accountable for publishing inaccurate and defamatory statements’.
The teen wrote: “I have a new announcement coming soon about my defamation cases, keep an eye on Fox News and TMAP.org for more this week.
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“Johnny Depp’s trial is just fuelling me, you can fight back against the lies in the media, and you should!”
Kyle also took to Twitter to congratulate Depp on his win against Amber Heard.
“‘The jury gave me my life back. Truth never perishes.’ - Johnny Depp,” Kyle quoted of the actor’s statement following the trial.
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“I felt that! Congratulations to Johnny and his team on his defamation suit,” he said, following the Pirates of the Caribbean actor’s win of $15 million by the jury.
Depp was awarded compensatory damages of $10 million (£8 million) and a further $5 million (£4 million) in punitive damages. The punitive damages were reduced to $350,000 (£280,000) by Judge Penny Azcarte in line with the statutory cap in Virginia.
In a separate verdict, Heard was awarded $2 million (£1.6 million) in damages for her counterclaim against Depp. The jury found one of the comments made by his lawyer Adam Waldman, who referred to her abuse claims as a 'hoax', was defamatory.
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Back in 2020, Illinois-born Rittenhouse was one of 250 people to be arrested in the days following the violent protests.
Kyle handed himself into police in his hometown, Antioch, Illinois, claiming he went to Kenosha to protect property and acted in self-defence.
Prosecutors dubbed Kyle a ‘wannabe soldier’ who was looking for trouble, while on the other side supporters said he was battling against disorder.
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Kyle’s verdict, for which he was acquitted, sparked controversy in the US and further violent outbursts from onlookers, with President Joe Biden having to step in and urge citizens to remain calm.
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Topics: Johnny Depp, US News
