Juror in Jussie Smollett trial admits jury agreed to do Smollett a 'favor' by finding him not guilty on one count



One of the jurors who sat on Jussie Smollett's jury recently spoke out about deliberations in the trial, admitting the 12-person panel did Smollett a "favor" by finding him not guilty on one of the criminal charges against him.

Smollett was found guilty last week on five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct over the hate crime hoax that he staged in January 2019.

What did the juror say?

Speaking with the Chicago Sun-Times, the juror admitted that "we all thought we were doing Jussie a favor" by finding him not guilty on one of the charges.

That felony charge of disorderly conduct was related to a Feb. 14, 2019, interview between police and Smollett in which Smollett was accused of lying about being a victim of an "aggravated battery." The other five charges stemmed from Smollett lying about being the victim of a mere "battery." Thus, the jurors did not understand the difference in charges.

The juror told the Sun-Times, "I think we probably would have found him guilty" on the last charge had prosecutors levied the same accusation against Smollett regarding the Feb. 14 incident, that he lied about being the victim of a battery.

Any dissenters?

The juror additionally explained why the jury required nine hours to convict Smollett of crimes that seemed so obvious to others.

Not only did the jury use the deliberation time to carefully consider all the evidence and whether prosecutors presented their case beyond a reasonable doubt, the juror revealed that some on the jury had doubts when deliberations began.

"It was not evenly split, but there were some doubters," the juror said. "I just hope that [Smollett and his attorneys] know that we went in there with an open mind. I listened to both sides. We wanted to make sure that those who had doubts didn’t feel pressured.”

"It wasn’t an easy decision. You’ve got the mother sitting there. You feel bad. We didn’t know what the penalty would be. Are we sending this guy to jail?" the juror, a female, told the newspaper.

Is the verdict inconsistent?

Nenye Uche, lead attorney for Smollett's defense, characterized the verdict as inconsistent because the jury decided Smollett was guilty and not guilty of lying to police about the same incident.

“Jussie was not accused of doing two different things and he was accused of doing one thing, and charged multiple times for the same incident, a jury cannot come out and say guilty of lying, but not guilty of lying,” Uche said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

However, law professor Richard Kling disagreed, telling the Sun-Times the verdict reflects a nuanced decision in which the jury was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt on most charges, but not all.

"I think that’s a wonderful reflection on the jury," King said of the outcome. "This was not inconsistent. On five counts they found he was responsible, and the other one they were unsure."

Smollett faces three years in prison for each felony count — meaning he could be sentenced to prison for a maximum of 15 years under Illinois law — but legal experts believe he will not face any jail time because he lacks a previous criminal record, WMAQ-TV reported.

Social media pillories Jussie Smollett over conviction while Hollywood liberals remain silent: He 'can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted'



Much of social media erupted in glee after "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was found guilty on five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct in relation to a hate crime hoax he orchestrated — while prominent liberals remained silent.

A Chicago jury pronounced Smollett guilty Thursday evening.

He awaits sentencing for the convictions, which carry a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison.

Microcapsule history

In 2019, Smollett reported that two Donald Trump supporters attacked him while screaming racial and homophobic slurs and placed a noose around his neck.

The two suspects, Nigerian-born brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — with whom Smollett worked on the set of "Empire" — ultimately told police that he paid them to stage the attack in efforts to boost his floundering career.

Detectives said that surveillance footage and other pieces of evidence corroborated the Osundairo brothers' claims. The Nigerian-born brothers ultimately testified against Smollett and insisted that the "Empire" actor walked them through how to carry out the "attack."

Smollett said that he was not guilty, that there was no hoax, and that the two brothers attacked him and attempted to extort money from him.

What are the details?

Following the verdict, Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro led the chorus and tweeted, “Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted."

Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted.
— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1639092114

The Babylon Bee's Twitter account joked, "Cruel: Jussie Smollett Will Be Forced To Share A Jail Cell With His Attacker."

Cruel: Jussie Smollett Will Be Forced To Share A Jail Cell With His Attackerhttps://babylonbee.com/news/cruel-jussie-smollett-forced-to-share-a-jail-cell-with-his-attacker\u00a0\u2026
— The Babylon Bee (@The Babylon Bee) 1639092071

Blaze Media's Jason Whitlock added, "The conviction of Jussie Smollett's attacker is further proof the American criminal justice system isn't racist."

The conviction of Jussie Smollett's attacker is further proof the American criminal justice system isn't racist. #JusticeForJussie
— Jason Whitlock (@Jason Whitlock) 1639092381

Joe Concha, media columnist at The Hill, added, “Jussie Smollett guilty on first five counts. Sixth count not guilty. Justice obviously served. Don’t expect any apologies from those who brought this ridiculous take from Day 1, starting with the VP and ABC’s Robin Roberts."

Jussie Smollett guilty on first five counts. Sixth count not guilty. Justice obviously served. Don\u2019t expect any apologies from those who brought this ridiculous take from Day 1, starting with the VP and ABC\u2019s Robin Roberts.
— Joe Concha (@Joe Concha) 1639092252

Broadcaster Megyn Kelly tweeted, "Jussie Smollett guilty on 5 felony counts. He perpetrated a hate crime hoax & made the road that much tougher for real victims. As for the press & politicos who gleefully bought his obvious nonsense & used it as an excuse to bash America, shame on you too."

Jussie Smollett guilty on 5 felony counts. He perpetrated a hate crime hoax & made the road that much tougher for real victims.\n As for the press & politicos who gleefully bought his obvious nonsense & used it as an excuse to bash America, shame on you too.
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly) 1639092530

Broadcaster Buck Sexton wrote, "Jussie Smollett's obvious hoax was an intelligence test that millions of liberals failed from day one[.] Including Biden and Kamala."

Jussie Smollett\u2019s obvious hoax was an intelligence test that millions of liberals failed from day one- \n\nIncluding Biden and Kamala
— Buck Sexton (@Buck Sexton) 1639092358

Daily Wire co-founder and co-CEO Jeremy Boreing added, "Never forget the left went all-in on the Jussie Smollett hoax. They wanted it to be true; they didn't care that it wasn't. And not just the media. The Obama political machine all but obstructed justice to protect this race-hustling fraud. They wanted riots. Unforgivable."

Never forget the left went all-in on the Jussie Smollett hoax. They wanted it to be true; they didn\u2019t care that it wasn\u2019t. \n\nAnd not just the media. The Obama political machine all but obstructed justice to protect this race-hustling fraud. They wanted riots. \n\nUnforgivable.
— Jeremy Boreing (@Jeremy Boreing) 1639096705

Author and columnist Tim Young added, "My favorite part of Jussie Smollett's hoax was that he left the rope around his neck... LIKE A REAL VICTIM WOULD... So when the cops showed up, he probably pointed to it and said 'See?!?! They tried to get me with this rope JUST LIKE THIS!' So f***ing dumb."

Silence from the peanut gallery

Liberals — both in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. — have largely remained mum on the verdict.

President Joe Biden in 2019 tweeted, “What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.”

What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1090328742231191554\u00a0\u2026
— Joe Biden (@Joe Biden) 1548811916

Around the same time, Vice President Kamala Harris added, "@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.”

.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I\u2019m praying for his quick recovery. \n\nThis was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.
— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris) 1548797413

Entertainer Ariana Grande at the time wrote, "[W]hat happened to jussie makes me really f***ing sick to my stomach. i can’t believe s*** like this is really still happening everyday. what kind of world ? sending all of the healing energy / love i possibly can and hoping for change. what can we do ? tell me & i’m there."

Actor Elliot Page — then known as Ellen Page — went on a lengthy diatribe during a late-night TV appearance, claiming that former President Donald Trump was somehow connected to the attack.

"Connect the dots, this is what happens," Page spat at the time. "If you are in a position of power and you hate people and you wanna cause suffering to them, you go through the trouble, you spend your career trying to cause suffering, what do you think is going to happen? Kids are going to be abused and they're going to kill themselves and people are going to be beaten on the street. I have traveled the world and I have met the most marginalized people you could meet. I am lucky to have this time and the privilege to say this. This needs to f***ing stop."

Actress Lena Waithe added, “Being queer and black is like having a target on your back every time you walk out the door. I don’t really believe police, I tend to believe black people first."

Smollett's fellow "Empire" co-star, Taraji P. Henson, wrote, "I know him and I know his track record. I'm not going to jump on clickbait just because someone says something derogatory about a person I know and love. I'm not easily swayed like that. Those little clickbait [reports] weren't enough to deter me from his immaculate track record. I know the type of activism this young man does in his community, I know that he's a giver – he's not an attention-seeker."

Jussie Smollett found guilty of felony disorderly conduct for staging hate crime



A jury in Chicago, Illinois pronounced Jussie Smollett guilty on five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct on Thursday, concluding that the ex-"Empire" actor orchestrated a fake hate crime against himself and subsequently lied to police about it.

The former actor now awaits sentencing for his crimes, which carry a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison. Though legal experts say the judge will likely take into account Smollett's otherwise clean criminal record and sentence him to probation with required community service.

What's the background?

The conviction ends a years-long saga that began in 2019, when Smollett, who is black and gay, drew national headlines for claiming two Donald Trump supporters, one of them white, attacked him near his apartment in Chicago while yelling racial and homophobic slurs. Shortly after a law enforcement investigation began, however, Smollett's story started to fall apart.

When Chicago police apprehended the two suspects in the crime, Nigerian-born brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — aspiring actors whom Smollett knew from the Chicago set of "Empire" and from the gym — they told officers that the actor paid them to stage the attack in an effort to boost his career.

Detectives would come to believe the brothers' claims, which they said were corroborated by surveillance video and backed up by in-car taxi videos, telephone logs, ride-share records, and credit card records, according to a case summary document released by prosecutors.

During the trial, prosecutors even alleged that Smollett arranged a "dry run" of the hoax with his co-conspirators days prior to the attack. Moreover, they claimed the practice session was captured on surveillance video.

What else?

The Osundairo brothers testified against Smollett in the case, each taking the witness stand to reiterate their claims that Smollett instructed them to place a noose around his neck and shout racial and homophobic slurs while roughing him up in view of a street camera.

Smollett testified in his own defense during the trial, maintaining to the jury that “there was no hoax" and that the brothers are “liars” who attacked him out of homophobic animus and attempted to extort him for money after the fact.

In closing arguments on Wednesday, lead prosecutor Dan Webb explained to the jury that Smollett's lies wasted an enormous amount of Chicago Police Department resources and unnecessarily stoked racial division.

“Besides being against the law, it’s just plain wrong for Mr. Smollett, a successful black actor, to outright denigrate something as serious, as heinous, as a real hate crime. To denigrate it and then make sure it involved words and symbols that have such horrible historical significance in our country," Webb said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

This is a breaking news story. There may be updates.

BLM calls Jussie Smollett trial a 'white supremacist charade,' say they 'can never believe police' over someone who so 'courageously' stands for black freedom



A Black Lives Matter leader on Tuesday blasted the trial against Jussie Smollett as a "white supremacist charade" and suggested that law enforcement in Chicago were railroading the former actor because he is black.

Dr. Melina Abdullah — a former California State University professor who now serves as the director of BLM Grassroots — declared in a statement published on the organization's website that the movement will continue to stand with Smollett regardless of the outcome of the trial since they "can never believe police" over someone "who has been courageously present, visible, and vocal in the struggle for Black freedom."

Smollett — who is black and gay — drew national headlines in 2019 after claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime put on by supporters of former President Donald Trump. But shortly after the supposed hate crime occurred, the ex-"Empire" actor's story began to fall apart.

Now he stands accused of staging the incident to boost his acting career, and is being tried in court on six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

During the trial, prosecutors even claimed that Smollett arranged a "dry run" of the hoax with his co-conspirators days before the attack — and that the practice session was caught on surveillance video.

Nevertheless, Abdullah claimed that "in an abolitionist society, this trial would not be taking place, and our communities would not have to fight and suffer to prove our worth."

"Instead, we find ourselves, once again, being forced to put our lives and our value in the hands of judges and juries operating in a system that is designed to oppress us, while continuing to face a corrupt and violent police department, which has proven time and again to have no respect for our lives," the BLM leader added.

She would go on to call policing at-large "an irredeemable institution" and to target the Chicago Police Department, in particular, "for its long and deep history of corruption, racism, and brutality."

"From the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, to the Burge tortures, to the murder of Laquan McDonald and subsequent cover-up, to the hundreds of others killed by Chicago police over the years and the thousands who survived abuse, Chicago police consistently demonstrate that they are among the worst of the worst. Police lie and Chicago police lie especially," Abdullah said.

"Black Lives Matter will continue to work towards the abolition of police and every unjust system. We will continue to love and protect one another, and wrap our arms around those who do the work to usher in Black freedom and, by extension, freedom for everyone else," she concluded.

Smollett faces up to three years in prison if convicted of the charges. But experts suggest that he would ultimately only receive probation and be required to perform community service.

On Monday, the former actor testified on the witness stand in his own defense. Closing arguments in the case are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, after which jurors will enter deliberation.

(H/T: Fox News)