The family of Kenosha killer Kyle Rittenhouse claims he abandoned them and left them facing eviction while he cashes in on his notoriety.
The 21-year-old rose to infamy in 2020 after shooting and killing three men with an AR-15-style rifle during riots following a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Two of the men died, but a jury acquitted him of murder the following year after concluding that he acted in self-defense.
She has become an icon on the right-wing media circuit, appearing at conferences and meeting Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, but her sister Faith launched a Gofundme appeal to save her and her mother Wendy, 49, of homelessness, citing his ‘brother’s unwillingness to provide for or contribute to our family.’
“Our family has been through unimaginable hardships and now we are on the brink of losing everything,” he wrote.
Kyle Rittenhouse has become a darling of the right-wing speaking circuit since he was acquitted of the murder of two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020.
His mother Wendy and sister Faith supported him throughout the trial, but claim he abandoned them to face poverty and homelessness alone.
Rittenhouse is believed to have moved to an upscale gated community in Houston after accepting a job as outreach director for the Second Amendment lobbying group Texas Gun Rights and launching his media career.
But he found himself thrown off stage by Black Lives Matter protesters at the University of Memphis in March during a speech on his tour for the conservative group Turning Point USA, focusing on the Second Amendment and “the lies of Black Lives Matter.”
Some held signs showing the faces of Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, the men he shot to death in 2020.
Rittenhouse and his armed group lobbied hard ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling last week that struck down the Trump-era federal ban on booster stocks.
‘It’s time to go celebrate and buy some booster stock!’ he tweeted before adding: ‘Next step is to make America fully automatic again!’
His mother and sister, who supported him throughout his murder trial, left their home in Antioch, Illinois, and moved into a small apartment in Kissimmee, Florida, where they say they are now just days away from eviction.
“Our lives were shattered when my brother was involved in a tragic shooting,” Faith wrote. ‘The consequences of this event uprooted the stability of our family and left us dealing with pain, trauma and the harsh reality of starting over.
‘We have had difficulty getting and maintaining employment due to the fact that many people still believe that my mother drove Kyle or was in some way involved in his decision to go to Kenosha.
Donald Trump said Rittenhouse was “a really nice young man” after inviting him to his Mar-A-Lago home in 2021.
But his sister Faith criticized his “unwillingness to provide or contribute to our family” when she posted a Gofundme appeal with a photo of his medical treatment.
Faith said she and her mother were facing imminent eviction from their apartment in Kissimmee.
‘Given my brother’s unwillingness to provide support or contribute to our family, we have had to navigate this journey alone.
‘To make matters worse, I lost my job due to frequent hospitalizations for medical problems. “I haven’t been able to work for the last four months, which makes it extremely difficult to support myself.”
Faith, 23, accompanied her appeal with a photograph of herself lying in a hospital bed attached to a blood monitor.
“We have fallen behind on rent and now face eviction with only eight days left in our apartment,” he wrote.
“The thought of losing our home, our sanctuary in the midst of chaos, is overwhelming and terrifying.”
The $3,000 goal had been surpassed as of Friday afternoon, with $3,835 raised from 67 donations.