Kyle Rittenhouse's defense team rested its case Thursday afternoon and the body of evidence is now closed. The judge gave the jury Friday off while the prosecution and defense agree on final instructions."Even though evidence is closed it is not appropriate to discuss with anybody." Judge Bruce Schroeder told the jury. Prosecutors said they will ask the judge to allow the jury to consider lesser charges on some of the most serious homicide charges.Schroeder said they will begin again Monday morning with jury instructions.That is expected to take up to an hour.The state will then present its closing arguments.Prosecutor Thomas Binger said he expected that to take up to two hours.Defense attorney Mark Richards said he expected his closing arguments to take about 90 minutes.The state will then have a final rebuttal, which Binger said could take up to an additional 30 minutes.The judge said he would allow each side to have up to 2.5 hours total for their closing arguments.He will then draw 12 numbers to decide the final jurors who will decide the case.Those jurors will then begin their deliberations.

Kyle Rittenhouse, now 18, formerly of Antioch, Illinois, has been charged with six felonies and one misdemeanor.

Jury selection for the Kyle Rittenhouse trial begins Monday. Community members told sister station WISN 12 News tensions and anxiety run high as the trial approaches."I think people are a little nervous about how this is all going to play out," said Tanya McLean, executive director of the Leaders of Kenosha. "No matter what, we want everyone to remain peaceful because this is about getting justice for two young men."Rittenhouse shot three men in August 2020 during unrest in Kenosha. Gaige Grosskreutz survived, but he killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum.Rittenhouse claims he shot the men in self-defense. "It is without debate, judge, all three of these people were chasing Kyle Rittenhouse," a defense attorney said at the last court hearing.Now a jury will review footage and testimony to decide.The Leaders of Kenosha group told WISN 12 News they believe justice will only be served if Rittenhouse is convicted of murder.However, they said safety is a number one concern and priority heading into next week."Nobody deserves to go to a rally and not come home at night," said Justin Blake, Jacob Blake's uncle. "It doesn’t mean much to your family if you don't make it home."The August unrest in Kenosha was in response to the Jacob Blake shooting."We have to accept the possibility that because of all these factors there's a chance justice won't fully be served," said Hannah Gittings, Huber's partner. "But what we need to remember is that our strength lies in our numbers and our bind." The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said there will be increased police presence and security surrounding the courthouse during the trial."Our responsibility to public safety is of utmost importance," Sheriff David Beth said in a statement. "These measures are meant to ensure the safety of the public that has legal business in and around the courthouse campus as well as Civic Center employees while maintaining the integrity of the trial."