Jussie Smollett’s lawyer says his client will appeal his conviction on five of six charges of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about a racist, homophobic attack in which he claimed he was attacked by noose-wielding Trump supporters yelling racial epithets at him.
Nenye Uche redeclared his client’s innocence and said he was “100% confident” that his client’s name would be cleared by an appellate court, reports The Associated Press.
“Unfortunately we were facing an uphill battle where Jussie was already tried and convicted in the media and then we had to somehow get the jury to forget or unsee all the news stories that they had been hearing that were negative for the last three years,” Uche told reporters after the verdict.
Smollett, who is Black and gay, has continued to insist over the past two years that, in January 2019, he was accosted by two men yelling “racial and homophobic slurs” at him while they beat him up, poured a bleach-like chemical substance on him, and placed a noose around his neck, declaring, “This is MAGA country.”
But police, after initially believing Smollett’s account, grew skeptical of his claims, especially after he refused to turn over complete phone records to back up his story. Surveillance cameras did not catch the attack on video, and police pointed to several inconsistencies in his story when they pressed him for more details of the attack.
The Chicago Police Department ultimately accused Smollett of staging the attack for publicity because he was allegedly “dissatisfied” with his salary on the hit TV show Empire — a job he later lost after being accused of staging the attack.
Police argued that Smollett misled and lied to police during the course of the investigation, playing on anger over the alleged crime and at former President Donald Trump — all the time relying on caricatures and stereotypes associated with Trump supporters — to generate sympathy for himself as a “victim.”
During a week-long trial, Smollett testified that the attack against him really did happen and was not part of some hoax, rebutting claims made by two brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, that the actor paid them $3,500 to stage the attack. Smollett called the Osundarios “liars” and claimed he paid them the money for meal and workout plans they provided to him.
Smollett’s attorneys argued in court that the brothers attacked the actor because they are homophobic and didn’t like “who he was.” They also claimed that the Osundarios made up the story about being paid to stage the attack, and accused them of
A Chicago jury deliberated for more than nine hours before finding him guilty on five of the six charges against him. As the jury read its verdict, Smollett showed no visible reaction. He and his family later left the courthouse without comment.
Prosecutors hailed the jury’s verdict as a “resounding message” that the jury believed Smollett did exactly what he has been accused of doing in terms of orchestrating the fake attack.
“Not only did Mr. Smollett lie to the police and wreak havoc here in the city for weeks on end for no reason whatsoever, but then he compounded the problem by lying under oath to a jury,” special prosecutor Dan Webb said after Thursday’s verdict.
Webb also said it was unclear at this point whether Smollett could face additional charges of perjury for lying on the witness stand. He said perjury charges “generally” aren’t issues after a conviction, but it was unclear what would happen in this case.
Cook County Circuit Judge James Linn has set a post-trial hearing for January 27, 2022, saying he will schedule Smollett’s sentencing at a later date. Smollett could face up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine for each charge. But experts have said that, given his lack of a prior criminal record, he would likely be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.
An interracial gay couple who run an award-winning farm in King George County, Virginia, say they were the targets of a hate-filled act after someone deliberately dumped medical waste on their property following last week’s state elections.
Kevin Graham, 44, and Dragan Kurbalija, 47, own Gardening Gays Farm, a 27-acre property along U.S. Route 301 where they sell flowers, eggs, seasonal produce, and pasture-raised meats, including lamb and chicken.
They also sell jams, sauces, teas, herbal remedies, local honey, handcrafted candles, and other artisan goods at their on-site store, and share their experiences as farmers on YouTube. The business was recently voted King George County’s “Overall Best Business,” “Best Family-Owned Business,” and “Best Agricultural Business” in a county-sponsored “Best of the Best” contest.
A Texas grand jury has indicted 57-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez in connection with the June 1 killing of actor Jonathan Joss. Police say Alvarez confronted Joss and his husband as they were picking up mail at their San Antonio home, which had burned down in February.
The 59-year-old Joss -- whose legal name was Jonathan Joss Gonzales -- was best known for his roles on the animated series King of the Hill and the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said in a Nov. 19 statement that Ceja Alvarez "is charged with murder, the most serious charge applicable under Texas law." The office added that, because the case is still pending, no further details could be released.
A gay-owned ice cream shop displaying a large Pride flag outside was attacked twice in 24 hours by a man who hurled Molotov cocktails at the business.
Jason Fletcher, owner of Fletcher's Ice Cream & Café in Minneapolis, told NBC affiliate KTTC that employees had left just six minutes before the first attack, around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 19. The suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail, shattering a window and igniting several chairs. Patrons at nearby Mac's Industrial Sports Bar helped extinguish the flames.
The second attack came just over 14 hours later, around 12:52 p.m. on Monday, when the shop was closed. This time, the Molotov cocktail created a larger hole in the window, but its wick fell out before the flames could reach inside. The fire scorched the sidewalk outside, leaving burn marks near several tables and chairs.
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