{"id":1103562,"date":"2021-12-09T17:58:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T22:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1103562"},"modified":"2021-12-09T17:58:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T22:58:33","slug":"jussie-smollett-trial-jury-reaches-verdict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jussie-smollett-trial-jury-reaches-verdict\/","title":{"rendered":"Jussie Smollett Trial: Jury Reaches Verdict"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjussie-smollett-trial-jury-reaches-verdict%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1103562&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/greatsmollett1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Jurors in Jussie Smollett\u2019s trial resumed deliberations Thursday on charges the former \u201cEmpire\u201d actor orchestrated a fake attack on himself, then lied to Chicago police about being the victim of an anti-gay, racist hate crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The jury deliberated for about two hours on Wednesday following a roughly one-week trial. They asked Judge James Linn for a copy of a calendar prosecutors displayed at trial that indicated relevant dates, including that of the alleged attack and of what two brothers testified was a \u201cdry run\u201d for the <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-trial-key-moments-901588ec2b755a0b641924270f92421d\">Jan. 29, 2019,<\/a> assault.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-crime-644f875e61b3ea9c7e8eefd1c227bf91\">In closing arguments <\/a>earlier Wednesday, a prosecutor told jurors there is \u201coverwhelming evidence\u201d that Smollett staged the attack, then lied to police about it for publicity. His defense attorney said prosecutors\u2019 case was based on lies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Two <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-crime-chicago-hate-crimes-6650652906e528cd4a8bf9032ea370e1\">brothers testified<\/a> last week that Smollett recruited them to fake the attack near his home in downtown Chicago. They said Smollett, who is Black and gay, told them to put a noose around his neck, yell racist and homophobic slurs, and rough him up in view of a surveillance camera.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-crime-chicago-eb787489c4e1fa17a12dff35eba13033\">Smollett testified <\/a>that he was the victim of a real hate crime, <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-trial-resumes-chicago-3860a3e677b22f4da2233d333df7dabd\">telling jurors \u201cthere was no hoax.<\/a> \u201d He called the brothers \u201cliars\u201d and said the $3,500 check he wrote them was for meal and workout plans. His <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-crime-chicago-4d72871f9ec25022c5a681ffef677333\">attorneys argued<\/a> that the brothers attacked the actor because they are homophobic and that they made up the story about the attack being staged but said they wouldn\u2019t testify against Smollett if he paid them each $1 million.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">In his closing argument Wednesday, special prosecutor Dan Webb told the jury that Smollett <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/smollett-trial-11-30-live-updates-e0fa5da624c4d3ef00c68a893b024bb4\">caused Chicago police to spend enormous resources <\/a>investigating what they believe was a fake crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cBesides 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,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">He also accused Smollett of lying to jurors, saying surveillance video from before the alleged attack and that night contradicts key moments of Smollett\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Defense attorney Nenye Uche called the brothers \u201csophisticated liars\u201d who may have been motivated to attack Smollett because of homophobia or because they wanted to be hired to work as his security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cThese guys want to make money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Webb questioned why Smollett didn\u2019t turn over his cellphone to police or give them a DNA sample or access to his medical records to help with the investigation. Smollett testified he doesn\u2019t trust Chicago police, and that he was concerned about his privacy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cIf he was a true victim of a crime he would not be withholding evidence,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Uche called it \u201cnonsense\u201d for Chicago police to ask Smollett for his DNA when he was still considered the victim of a crime. He noted Smollett later provided DNA to the FBI for a separate investigation into hate mail he had received at the \u201cEmpire\u201d studio shortly before the alleged attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cHe wasn\u2019t hiding anything,\u201d Uche said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-trial-chicago-charges-d5f6081f7755b841a878952889d29feb\">disorderly conduct charge<\/a> is a class 4 felony that carries a prison sentence of up to three years, but experts have said if Smollett is convicted, he would likely be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Jurors in Jussie Smollett\u2019s trial resumed deliberations Thursday on charges the former \u201cEmpire\u201d actor orchestrated a fake attack on himself, then lied to Chicago police about being &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1103562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1103562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1103562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1103562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1103562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}