Tag: jussie smollett
Jussie Smollett cites George Floyd protests, demands police transparency
Embattled actor Jussie Smollett cited ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd while demanding more transparency from cops in his own criminal case, according to new court documents.
The former “Empire” star says he deserves to know why Chicago’s top cop, Eddie Johnson, was fired from the position last year, because it may be linked to flaws in the case against him, according to court docs cited by FOX News.
“As we see millions across the country rise up to protest and expose police misconduct, the city [of Chicago], by its refusal to produce the requested documents, is choosing to actively resist a citizen’s lawful efforts to reveal dishonesty, directly relating to the charges against him,” reads the motion, which was filed Friday to force officials to hand over documents about Johnson’s firing.
It notes the former police supervisor “oversaw and publicly commented on the investigation” that led to Smollett’s arrest.
The 37-year-old actor, who is black and gay, was charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police and staging a hate crime in January 2019.
In a stunning reversal, prosecutors dropped all charges in the botched case in March 2019 and Johnson was fired eight months later. But in February, Smollett was hit with six new charges.
Since then, his legal team has pushed to have cops cough up discovery documents detailing the events surrounding Johnson’s firing. Their most recent filing claims, cops “disparaged Mr. Smollett by characterizing his discovery requests as attempting to ‘muddy the waters.’”
They also note that previous documents released by city officials, “conspicuously omit” which specific police officers claimed that Smollett made false statements to cops.
Smollett pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct in February and was released on a $20,000 bond.
Article via PageSix
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Smollett’s ‘Empire’ dad Terrence Howard breaks silence, doubles down on support
Article via Fox
CHICAGO — At a time when other celebrities are pulling their support for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollet, the 36-year-old’s TV dad is doubling-down on his, lashing back angrily at social media users who have slammed Smollett for allegedly faking his own attack.
In an Instagram post, Howard shared a video of Smollett playing with Howard’s son, Hero, on a private plane. Hero breaks into giggles when Smollett tickles him.
“All your lil homies got you…We love the hell outta you,” Howard wrote along with a heart emoji at the end.
The posting had more than 105,000 likes by 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday.
Howard also fired back when a fan criticized him for supporting Smollett.
“Sorry you feel that way but that’s the only Jussie I know,” he posted. “The Jussie I know could never even conceive of something so unconscious and ugly. His innocence or judgment is not for any of us to decide. Stay in your lane and my lane is empathy and love and compassion for someone I’ve called my son for five years. It’s God’s job to judge and it’s ours to love and hope, especially for those that we claim to have loved.”
Chicago police charged Smollett this week with filing a false report for allegedly staging a Jan. 29 attack on himself and making it look like he was the victim of a hate crime. Smollett has denied the charge.
The actor, who is black and gay, claimed two men assaulted him last month. He said they threw bleach on him, put a noose around his neck and said “This is MAGA Country,” a reference to President Trump’s supporters, during the assault.
On Friday, producers of “Empire,” which airs on Fox, announced they would remove Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, from the last two episodes of the current season.
According to the most recent FBI data available, there were 41 hate crimes in Chicago in 2017. Of those, 8 victims were targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and 16 were targeted because of their race or ethnicity.
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Jussie Smollett Case: Two Suspects Released Without Charges as New Evidence Emerges
Article via Variety
After two days of questioning, the Chicago Police Department announced Friday evening that it has released two suspects in the Jussie Smollett case without filing charges. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that detectives had developed new information in the case. Police no longer consider the men to be suspects.
“Due to new evidence as a result of today’s interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete,” he said.
Also on Friday, defense attorney Michael Monico confirmed to Variety that he is now representing Smollett, one of the stars of “Empire.”
Smollett told police on Jan. 29 that two men attacked him, yelled homophobic and racial slurs, poured bleach on him, and put a rope around his neck. Local media has reported that investigators are looking into whether the incident was staged. The Chicago Police Department has said that it had no evidence of that, and that Smollett is still being treated as a victim.
Monico is a high-powered defense attorney with decades of experience. He recently represented Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, in his criminal case.
The two men released Friday evening — who police have not officially identified — had been under arrest, though police never disclosed what charges they could potentially face. The attorney for the two Nigerian brothers told CBS Chicago that both know Smollett from “Empire,” and that they go to the same gym. The attorney denied that the men had attacked Smollett.
Police searched the home of the two brothers on Wednesday night, finding electronics, shoes, and bleach, according to local reports. Fox issued a statement on Thursday standing by the actor, and strongly dismissing a report that Smollett may have acted out because he was being written off the show.
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Jussie Smollett To Be “Held Accountable” For Potential False Report, Police Claims
Article via HotNewHipHop
The Chicago Police Department is casting doubt on the actor’s story.
An investigation was launched after Jussie Smollett reported an attack. The Chicago Police department initially announced that the case would be treated with care as a potential hate crime. After running into issues with gaps in video footage and other setbacks, legal authorities have decided to specify that Jussie Smollett will be held accountable if his report proved to be false.
Rafer Weigel of Fox News referred to the force’s superintendent to tweet: “#ChicagoPolice Supt Eddie Johnson says #JussieSmollett is still being treated as the victim in this case but if the investigation does reveal he made a false report he will be held accountable.”
The idea of punishment for filing a false report is definitely nothing new. In recent years, the Black community has asked for this concept to apply to scenarios in which apparently racist individuals call the police for absurd “reasons.” In this context, Johnson’s statement is questionable. The investigation is still ongoing, as he specified, so projecting the current victim into the future as a defendant is unusual.
This decision may come to the fact that many factions of the public have expressed skepticism in relation to Jussie’s testimony. Ironically, Johnson has poked holes in the”innocent until proven guilty” motto by adding to the speculations by mentioning the possibility of a false report, a hypothetical scenario that is always at play. Why mention it?
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Chicago police say ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett refuses to hand over cellphone to them
Article via NBCNews
The actor declined to share telephone records that could show he was speaking with his manager during his alleged assault.
CHICAGO — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has refused to turn over his cellphone to detectives, who are investigating the alleged attack that sent him to the hospital earlier this week, Chicago police said Thursday.
The actor declined to share telephone records that could show he was speaking with his manager just as the alleged assault happened early Tuesday morning in Chicago, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told NBC News.
Smollett has told police he was confronted by two men who allegedly hurled racist and homophobic slurs just before they beat him up. They are investigating the case as a possible hate crime.
The manager has told police he heard the attackers say, “This is MAGA country,” during the assault, officials said.
When police asked Smollett for his cellphone and records to confirm the call, he refused to share them, according to Guglielmi.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Chicago police would seek to obtain those records independently.
A representative for the actor could did not immediately return messages seeking comment about the cellphone and phone records.
But in a prepared statement issued late Thursday afternoon, Smollett’s family, through the same representative, reiterated his claim of being attacked because of his race and orientation.
“In the early hours of Tuesday morning, our beloved son and brother, Jussie, was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack. We want to be clear, this was a racial and homophobic hate crime,” according to the family statement.
“Jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. His story has never changed, and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice.”
Police have reviewed hundreds of hours of footage from more than 20 surveillance cameras in the area, according to Guglielmi. They have not found any images of the alleged attack, but do have footage that shows part of Smollet’s journey to and from the neighborhood.
Police have released pictures, taken from surveillance cameras, of two “potential people of interest” but stopped short of calling them suspects.E