'Incredibly dramatic moment': Legal expert reacts to Kyle Rittenhouse's not guilty verdict

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The state faced an uphill battle from testimony, video evidence and a strong defense, legal experts said of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, which ended in the 18-year-old being found not guilty on all counts.

Julius Kim, an attorney from Wauwatosa not affiliated with the case, watched the trial from beginning to end and shared reaction to the verdict just minutes after hearing it being read aloud to the court.

"That was an incredibly dramatic moment that was history there," Kim told CBS 58.

After about four days of deliberations, the jury reached its not guilty verdict, a result Kim said was likely from the beginning.

"I can understand why the jury came back the way it did," Kim said. "You know, it was a tough case for the state. I think the defense did a nice job of formulating their arguments in this case and the video evidence could've gone both ways."

Kim noted the amount of time deliberations took indicated there was likely not a lot of push and pull among jurors, and most were on the same page from the start.

While there was a lot of emotion and noise surrounding the trial, Kim believed the jury focused on the few moments of the shootings the case revolved around. Because of that and the testimony and evidence brought to them, Kim said their not guilty verdict was not a surprise.

"A lot of the witnesses that the state called turned out to not be that helpful for them, or they were a double-edged sword, and so I think the combination of everything added up," Kim said. "I mean Gaige Grosskreutz and the time he was approaching Kyle Rittenhouse on the ground, who had already been hit in the head twice with a skateboard and kicked in the face, was not helpful."