Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen facing charges for the deaths of two people shot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was released from custody due to what a member of his defense team described as a miracle Saturday.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and former child star Ricky Schroder helped cover the $2 million cash bail that resulted in Mr. Rittenhouse before freed on Friday, attorney L. Lin Wood confirmed.
“It can be described as a miracle,” Mr. Wood told former White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon while appearing on his “War Room: Pandemic” podcast. “I believe it was an act of God,” he added.
Mr. Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, was released from a juvenile center Friday night after spending nearly three months in custody awaiting trial for charges related to the shooting deaths.
Defense lawyers said afterward that Mr. Lindell, a businessman famous for his TV commercial pitches for his MyPillow brand, and Mr. Schroder, who rose to stardom on “Silver Spoons” in the 1980s, helped post bail.
Mr. Wood and John Pierce, another member of the defense team, later shared a photograph online Friday that showed the latter posing alongside Mr. Schroder and the newly freed Mr. Rittenhouse.
Speaking to Mr. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, Mr. Wood thanked Mr. Schroder, 50, Mr. Lindell, 59, and the “many thousands of patriots who knew this boy was innocent” and donated.
Mr. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting three people, killing two, with a rifle he is too young under state law to purchase. Scenes from the shooting and its aftermath were recorded by witnesses.
The shootings took place on the night of Aug. 25 in Kenosha, near the Illinois state line, amid the city experiencing unrest sparked by a police officer shooting a Black man seven times days before.
Attorneys for Mr. Rittenhouse have maintained he was in Kenosha to protect local businesses from rioters and argue he acted in self defense. “He’s a fine young man and he’s going to do a lot of great things for America,” Mr. Wood said Saturday. “Eventually he will be exonerated,” he told Mr. Bannon.
Mr. Wood, 68, announced shortly after the shooting that his not-for-profit organization would be assembling a legal team for Mr. Rittenhouse and raising funds needed for his defense and freedom.
The lawyer references a slogan used by the QAnon conspiracy theory movement in his Twitter profile, and he is among Trump supporters to repeat the president’s recent unproven claims of voter fraud.
Mr. Lindell, another prominent Trump supporter, did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Times regarding his apparent contribution to Mr. Rittenhouse’s bail fund.
Mr. Schroder, whose other notable roles included the TV show “NYPD Blue,” seemed to confirm his involvement on the social media service Parler, where he shared the photo of himself and the teen Friday.
Prosecutors have charged a man with purchasing the AR-15 that Mr. Rittenhouse had with him in Kenosha. His arraignment has yet to be held.
Mr. Rittenhouse used $1,200 he received from a coronavirus stimulus check to buy the gun, the told The Washington Post recently.
He faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide. He faces up to life imprisonment if convicted.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.