One of the jurors in the sensationalized Jussie Smollett trial explained why the panel found the former “Empire” actor guilty on five of six felony charges related to staging his own beating.
Smollett, 39, was initially charged by the special prosecutor with six counts of disorderly conduct. This is in relation to telling the police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in the middle of the night in Chicago on Jan. 29, 2019.
The juror, a female who declined to be identified, explained to media outlets that she believed that Smollett was lying when he took the stand in his own defense. Furthermore, she said Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who testified in court that Smollett paid them to rough him up, were simply more credible and had more evidence to back up their accounts.
For example, the Osundairo brothers stated that they were paid $3,500 to help construct the hoax and there was a check produced in court in that amount. Smollett tried to say it was for personal training services.
The brothers also stated that Smollett orchestrated a dry run of the attach in the days leading up to the actual episode. Surveillance cameras on adjacent buildings back up their story.
Flip the page to view more of the juror’s account of the infamous trial.
