Actor Jussie Smollett has been found guilty by a jury of his peers in his years-long hate crime case, after nine hours of deliberations.
The verdict was given Thursday afternoon, according to Variety, after seven days of testimony from 13 witnesses. Smollett, who is Black and openly identifies as homosexual, was charged in 2019 with orchestrating his own hate crime and filing false police reports.
The 39-year-old actor previously told the authorities he has been attacked by two masked white men while out walking in Chicago around 2 a.m. According to authorities, Smollett claimed the attackers hurled racial and homophobic remarks before dumping a bleach-like solution on him and tying a rope around his neck.
However, following investigations into the incident, detectives ultimately identified the “attackers” as brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, two Black men who had a personal and business relationship with Smollett.
The brothers also testified during the trial that Smollett paid them $3,500 to help arrange the alleged attack and then promised them $1 million each to publicly deny involvement in the hoax. Smollett refuted the accusations, testifying that the brothers wanted the $2 million through their lawyer. Smollett then asserted that he never paid any money to the Osundairos in connection with the attack, but admitted that he had a sexual relationship with Abimbola, whom he met in 2017 before discovering he was a background actor on Empire.
On Wednesday, prosecutors made their closing statement, where they told jurors that there was “overwhelming evidence” that the ex-Empire star was behind the alleged hoax. Adding that his inaccurate description of the attackers, as well as his failure to fully cooperate with investigators, were red flags.
“Besides being against the law, it is just plain wrong to outright denigrate something as serious as a real hate crime and then make sure it involved words and symbols that have such historical significance in our country,” Special prosecutor Dan Webb said to the court. “At the end of the day, he lacks any credibility whatsoever.”
Nenye Uche, the Smollett’s attorney, then argued against Webb’s assertions, claiming that the prosecution’s arguments were based primarily on the Osundairos’ testimonies, who he called “certified liars.”
“The entire prosecution case was built like a house of cards,” Uche told the court as per the Chicago Tribune. “And we all know what happens to a house of cards when you apply a little pressure. It crumbles.”
For allegedly lying to police, Smollett was subsequently charged with six counts of disorderly conduct (Class 4 felonies). He was found guilty on five of the counts and acquitted on the sixth. The first five were related to statements he made to authorities on the day of the alleged incident, and the last one was regarding statements he made a few weeks later.
The date for Smollett’s sentencing hearing has yet to be set. He might now face a sentence of up to three years in prison.
Education: Computer Network Engineering, Computer Desktop Administration
Fave Song: Destiny's Child 'Dangerously in love'
Fave Colour: Grey.
With £1m what would you do: I would do my part to provide opportunities to the less fortunate. Then do my best to change the world in my own way through sports and talent building.
