Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who fatally shot two Black Lives Matter protesters in Wisconsin in 2020, has now gone broke, according to his lawyer.
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, died after Mr Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, fired a semi-automatic AR-15-style assault rifle at them during a night of unrest in Kenosha, as hundreds gathered to protest the police shooting of Black man Jacob Blake.
Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was also shot but survived.
After the shootings, Mr Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and two charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
Mr Rittenhouse, now 20, argued he fired in self-defence after each of the men attacked him.
In 2021, a jury acquitted him of all charges.
Since then, Mr Rittenhouse has made regular appearances in right-wing media and recently announced the release of his new book, titled Acquitted, which he describes as a “story of survival, resilience, and justice”.
But, despite his infamy, Mr Rittenhouse’s lawyer has revealed the 20-year-old has lost all his money since his acquittal.
Kyle Rittenhouse has gone broke since his acquittal, according to his lawyer— (2021, Sean Krajacic, Kenosha News, All rights reserved)
“He is working, he is trying to support himself. Everybody thinks that Kyle got so much money from this. Whatever money he did get is gone,” lawyer Mark Richards told Court TV.
“He’s living, I don’t want to say paycheck to paycheck, but he’s living to support himself. Obviously, as his lawyer and somebody who I want to do well, I hope he does re-engage in his studies.
“But right now he is working full-time, he is living a law-abiding life and he is doing something that he enjoys.”
Mr Rittenhouse has previously been open about his financial situation, appearing on Fox News to plead for donations to his legal fund.
Despite being acquitted in criminal court, the 20-year-old is currently facing a lawsuit filed by John Huber, the father of Anthony Huber.
Mr Huber filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Mr Rittenhouse, Kenosha city officials and its police force accusing them of violating his son’s constitutional rights.
Mr Rittenhouse has raised $250,000 in donations for a legal defence fund to fight the lawsuit.
The estate of Joseph Rosenbaum also filed a wrongful death suit against Mr Rittenhouse in August of this year for “compensatory and punitive damages.”
Mr Rittenhouse’s trial and acquittal were divisive, with prosecutors portraying him as a “wannabe soldier” who had gone looking for trouble, while his supporters regarded him as a patriot who took a stand against lawlessness.
Controversy has continued to surround the 20-year-old in the aftermath of the trial, as he has slammed the media and officials including President Joe Biden and campaigned for gun rights.
Earlier this year, he joined gun rights activists in opposing a Texas state House bill that sought to raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21, in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting a year earlier.
Meanwhile, in July, he filed papers with the Texas secretary of state’s office to establish The Kyle Rittenhouse Foundation, a non-profit which seeks to protect “human and civil rights secured by law, including an individual’s inalienable right to bear arms” and ensure the Second Amendment is “preserved through education and legal assistance”.
