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A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday delayed the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is charged with fatally shooting Black Lives Matters protesters in Kenosha last summer. 

Prosecutors as well as Rittenhouse's defense attorneys had asked for the postponement, arguing they needed more time to build their respective cases. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder also set a meeting for May, to ensure that the new timeline still works for the two legal teams. 

Rittenhouse is charged with killing Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and seriously wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, during protests  on Aug. 25, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed.

to all charges, saying the shootings — which were captured by cell phone video — were acts of self-defense.  He has been out on bail since November, when his $2 million bond was paid by conservative fundraisers. 

His cause has garnered widespread support from conservative Second Amendment advocates — including, former President Donald Trump — who seek to paint Rittenhouse as a young champion of the 

 and a patriot. (Rittenhouse was 17 at the time of the shootings.)

Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter supporters say Rittenhouse, who was reportedly driven to the protest across state lines from Illinois by his mother, as a white vigilante, intent on stoking racial violence. 

Months after his release, Rittenhouse was 

 with possible members of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that 

 played a critical role in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

 or increase Rittenhouse's bail, after he failed to update his current address with the court. But he did 

the shooter from associating with white supremacists. 

On Wednesday, Rittenhouse's lawyers said they needed extra time to finish up a public opinion poll "to get a feel for whether Rittenhouse can expect to get a fair trial in the county, or if there might be reason to seek a change of venue or a jury pool from another county,"  the Milwaukee 

Crime, Law and Justice

Vanessa Romo

Author

The request to postpone came from prosecutors and defense lawyers looking for more time to build their cases. Rittenhouse is accused of killing two men and wounding another.

Kyle Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha killings delayed until November

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