Rittenhouse Trial Witness Says Prosecutors Asked Him To ‘Change’ His Statement To Police

A witness in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse testified Tuesday that prosecutors pushed him to change his statement to the police.

Amateur photographer Nathan DeBruin took the stand on Tuesday as one of four defense witnesses called that day. During his testimony, DeBruin recounted an earlier, uncomfortable meeting with prosecutors in which DeBruin said they pushed him to change a statement he gave to police regarding another man, Joshua Ziminski, whom prosecutors have charged with arson.

During the defense examination of the witness, defense attorney Mark Richards asked DeBruin to describe the meeting he had had with Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger and Assistant District Attorney James Kraus.

“I was called down to the district attorney’s office. I met with Mr. Binger and [Kraus] … I was called into a room, sat at a table, handed my police statement, got to read over my police statement, and then I was asked if I would like to add anything to the police statement, and I said I would not,” DeBruin began.

“Mr. Binger pulled out a cell phone and showed me a video and also a photo – which was actually one photo that I brought today – and asked me if I knew who a gentleman was in that photo, and I said I did not. He said, ‘This is Joshua Ziminski.’ Mr. Binger also has a case with him, and I am subpoenaed for that case also,” he continued. “He says, ‘Well, that’s who that is.’ He put the phone down. He picked the phone back up and says, ‘Who is this?’ And I confusingly said, like, Joshua Ziminski, and he said, ‘Would you like to add that to your statement?’ and I just felt I didn’t want to change my statement.”

DeBruin said that after that meeting he retained counsel. Richards closed his examination after the exchange.

Under cross-examination by Kraus, DeBruin testified that the prosecution asked him to “change” his statement, suggesting that prosecutors wanted DeBruin to give the police false information regarding his knowledge about Ziminski.

Kraus began his line of questioning with the meeting the team of prosecutors had with DeBruin. The witness confirmed that he had been “very nervous” for the meeting. Then Kraus pushed DeBruin over the back-and-forth related to his police statement on Ziminski.

“We had you read over your statement, right?” Kraus asked.

“Correct,” DeBruin responded.

“And we asked if you knew anything beyond that statement,” the prosecutor continued.

“Correct,” DeBruin again

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases