Jussie Smollett’s Conviction Overturned in Alleged Street Assault Hoax

Jussie SmollettActor accused of faking homophobic attack on the streets Chicago In 2019, his conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday, and a judge ruled that his second investigation, after the case had already been resolved, was a violation of his right to a fair trial.

Smollett has attacked every angle of the case since the saga was rebooted six months after the charges were dropped, and on Thursday, in a 5-0 vote with two justices abstaining, the court declared the second case against Smollett a due process violation. rights.

“We believe that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a violation of due process, and we therefore reverse the defendant’s conviction,” Rochford wrote in the opinion.

Smollett, who is black and gay, was the breakout star of the Fox TV series Empire to his apartment in January 2019, when he claimed he was attacked on the streets of Chicago by two Black men who hurled homophobic slurs at him and shouted “This is MAGA country,” beat him as he walked, and put a noose around his neck. The two men, Abimbola Osundairo and Olabinjo Osundairo, said Smollett instructed them to attack them and that the actor explained to the brothers in detail how to do it. The two alleged attackers testified that Smollett faked the attack and paid them $3,500 for it. Smollett maintains that his claims are not a hoax.

When Chicago detectives discovered it, the story became a sensation, combining issues of race and homosexuality, celebrity and social media, as Trump moved into the White House and the MAGA movement was emboldened. Prosecutors offered to drop the charges if Smollett agreed to give up his $10,000 bond and perform community service.

Still, public outcry was harsh and loud, and a special prosecutor revived the case after he was dismissed after the prosecutor was accused of nepotism. Prosecutors alleged that Smollett carried out the attack because he was unhappy with a TV studio’s response to hate mail it had received. Smollett was convicted by a grand jury on six counts of felony disorderly conduct for falsely reporting the fake attack to police; He was found guilty of five of six charges in November 2021. He served six days of a five-month prison sentence in 2022 before being released on appeal.

On Thursday, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford ruled that the special prosecutor’s case was a violation of Smollett’s rights.

Nenye Uche, who led Smollett’s defense team, expressed gratitude for her client’s legal victory.

“This is not a fact-based investigation, but a vengeful persecution, and such a process has no place in our criminal justice system,” he said in a statement after the verdict. “All in all, we are pleased that the rule of law is the big winner today. “We are grateful to the Illinois Supreme Court for reforming Illinois’ criminal jurisprudence.”