Cortez Rice is the reported nephew of George Floyd, whose May 2020 death while in police custody triggered a summer of rioting, looting and mayhem. And he has a message for the Kyle Rittenhouse trial jury.
In a chilling video that was clearly designed to intimidate, Rice told members of the jury they’re being watched and that he fully expects a guilty verdict. In a menacing tone of voice, he says, “I ain’t even gonna name the people that I know that’s up in the Kenosha [Wisconsin] trial. But it’s cameras in there. It’s definitely cameras up in there. There’s definitely people taking pictures of the juries and everything like that.”
“We know what’s going on, so we need the same results, man. We need the same results,” he said, referencing the guilty verdicts delivered by the jurors in the Derek Chauvin murder trial in April.
Rice’s relation to Floyd is a bit hazy, as several outlets have reported Rice is Floyd’s nephew, while others have said Rice’s relationship with Floyd was as close as a family bond would be, though the two were just friends.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges which include “first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree attempted intentional homicide,” according to CNN. He shot two individuals fatally and wounded a third during the Kenosha riots last August.
His lawyers are making the case that Rittenhouse fired the shots in self-defense. His case was bolstered last week by aerial footage taken by the FBI which supports Rittenhouse’s version of events. He received a second boost on Monday when the survivor of the men he shot told the court he had pointed a gun at Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse fired his own gun, according to Reuters.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who is presiding over the case, told the court Tuesday it had been reported to him that, the same morning, an individual was found video-recording the jury. Schroeder said, “The officers approached the person and required [them] to delete the video.”
If it happens again, he said, the officers have been instructed to take the phone and bring it to the court.
Evidently, Rice feels his “status” as Floyd’s “nephew” gives him some leverage over those who might dox or otherwise harm the jurors should they return an unsatisfactory verdict.
Because the jurors are not sequestered, it’s very possible that at least some will hear Rice’s messages.
One Twitter user informed his followers that, although Rice deleted his message from his Facebook page, an hour-long stream of the original can be viewed on YouTube.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and language.
I suppose there are many ways to influence a jury. One could choose the thuggish approach that Rice did.
Or one might try a more brazen approach as California Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat, tried the weekend before the verdict was reached in the Derek Chauvin trial. She showed up at a riot and essentially told the crowd a manslaughter verdict was unacceptable. If the jury didn’t find Chauvin guilty of murder, they needed to turn up the heat.
For his part, President Joe Biden said he hoped the jury would make the “right” decision.
Republicans were outraged by Waters and Biden for their efforts to “weigh-in” on the case. Democrats, of course, were fine with it.
Unfortunately, this behavior is impossible to stop and difficult to prosecute. And it clearly marginalizes our system of justice which promises citizens a fair trial.
Hopefully, the city of Kenosha will provide members of the Rittenhouse jury with security for a period of time should they reach an “unpopular verdict.”
