Jury wraps up first day of deliberations in Jussie Smollett's trial for alleged hoax hate crime

"They lied to this court, they lied to this jury," Uche said. "They're criminals. They're the worst benignant of criminals."

The proceedings started past week arsenic prosecutors told the assemblage that Smollett, who is Black and gay, directed the Osundairo brothers to transportation retired a fake anti-gay and racist onslaught connected a frigid nighttime successful Chicago adjacent Smollett's flat building. Five constabulary investigators and some brothers testified for the prosecution past week.

Defense attorneys called 7 witnesses of their ain to testify, highlighted by Smollett himself. He testified implicit astir 8 hours Monday and Tuesday helium had not planned immoderate specified hoax, and that helium was really attacked precocious 1 nighttime aft going retired to get a Subway sandwich.

The proceedings is the culmination of a lawsuit that began astir 3 years agone erstwhile Smollett told police 2 men attacked him, called him the n-word, enactment a noose astir his neck, poured bleach connected him and exclaimed, "This is MAGA country."

Celebrities, politicians and advocacy groups rallied down the actor, and constabulary poured important resources into solving the case. But aft interviewing the Osundairo brothers and uncovering different evidence, authorities alternatively determined that Smollett paid them $3,500 to signifier the hatred transgression truthful helium could get publicity and a vocation boost.

He was initially indicted connected 16 counts of felony disorderly behaviour successful March 2019, but the charges were dropped weeks later. After a peculiar authoritative was appointed to look into the case, a expansive assemblage indicted Smollett connected caller charges successful February 2020.

The incidental efficaciously ended Smollett's acting career. His quality was written disconnected "Empire," which ended successful 2020, and though helium has since directed and produced a film, helium has not appeared connected surface again.

Prosecution says Smollett lied connected the stand

Over astir 2 hours, Webb highlighted six circumstantial issues that helium said proved Smollett's guilt and contrasted his grounds with what they accidental truly happened.

"Mr. Smollett developed a program to transportation retired a fake hatred crime," helium said. "He past falsely reported the fake hatred transgression to the Chicago Police Department arsenic a existent hatred crime."

The archetypal contented was his determination to withhold compartment phone, aesculapian and DNA grounds from police.

"Mr. Smollett didn't privation the transgression solved," Webb told jurors. "He wanted the media vulnerability but helium didn't privation the brothers apprehended."

He said Smollett withheld his aesculapian records due to the fact that helium "did not privation the constabulary to cognize helium wasn't injured that much."

The 2nd cardinal portion of grounds Webb focused connected was accusing Smollett of making mendacious statements to the constabulary connected the contention of the attackers.

The Osundairo brothers are Black, portion Smollett initially indicated the perpetrators were White. Smollett said during grounds that helium was ne'er definite the perpetrators were White but "assumed" and that helium was "certain" helium was saying pale-skinned from the beginning.

"He not lone told you [jurors] helium assumed they were White, helium told the constabulary that," said Webb. "He wants constabulary to beryllium looking for idiosyncratic White."

The 3rd portion Webb focused connected was Smollett tampering with a rope, which had been fashioned into a noose, that the attackers allegedly enactment astir his neck. He said Smollett "monkeyed around" with the enactment -- a operation that led to groans from the Smollett family, arsenic astir each of them shook their heads.

Smollett testified helium took the enactment disconnected aft the onslaught but past enactment it backmost connected for constabulary to spot erstwhile they arrived.

It "destroys his credibility," Webb said. "Why did helium person to jimmy and monkey astir with the rope?"

The 4th portion Webb emphasized was the Osundairo brothers could not person attacked Smollett without beforehand knowledge. The expected onslaught came astatine 2 a.m. during the polar vortex extracurricular Smollett's flat aft helium went retired to Walgreens to get immoderate eggs and ended up astatine Subway.

"It's conscionable a ridiculous communicative helium made up," Webb told jurors. "How could the brothers ever cognize to beryllium close astatine that intersection, close astatine 2 a.m.?"

The 5th portion of grounds was the aforementioned aesculapian grounds of nary superior injuries.

The last facet of the lawsuit Webb emphasized to jurors was a February 2019 constabulary interview, weeks aft the alleged hatred transgression took place, and a substance to Bola Osundairo. Webb pointed retired Smollett did not motion the transgression complaints laying retired the Osundairo brothers were the ones who carried retired this alleged crime.

Smollett claimed helium didn't sign, contempt initially saying helium would, nether proposal of his ineligible team. But Webb past called up a substance connection Smollett sent that time to Bola Osundairo beginning, "Brother I emotion you, I basal with you, I cognize you did thing wrong."

Webb told jurors Smollett wanted the brothers to cognize helium was going to support his rima shut, successful hopes they would support their mouths shut, too, and nary 1 would find out.

Defense says not to judge Osundairo brothers

In the defense's closing arguments, Uche told the assemblage aggregate times not to judge astir of the grounds fixed by either Osundairo brothers, including what they perceived to beryllium the crushed Smollett wrote 1 of them a cheque for $3,500.

Prosecutors person argued passim the proceedings that the cheque was fixed arsenic outgo for staging the fake attack. Uche pointed retired Smollett paid his publicist Pamela Sharp $3,500 arsenic good and said it was mean for celebrities to wage ample sums of wealth for services.

"So is Pam Sharp besides readying a hoax with Mr. Smollett? Ridiculous!" Uche told the jury.

Uche claimed that detectives assigned to the lawsuit failed to execute a implicit and thorough investigation, replaying video of a car that had pulled up adjacent to a taxi the Osundairo brothers took aft the alleged attack. He highlighted an representation of the vehicle's operator arsenic helium stopped adjacent to the taxi.

"Who is he?" Uche loudly asked.

Uche referenced Webb's comments during the prosecution's closing arguments erstwhile helium said Smollett's grounds that helium went to bargain eggs was not believable.

"They said helium went to bargain eggs," Uche said laughing. "Who's going to judge that?"

Implying that Smollett didn't request to fabricate the travel for his ain defense, Uche continued, "Why didn't (Webb) accidental helium (Smollett) went consecutive to Subway? He told the information due to the fact that that's what helium did."

Uche said Smollett grew to admit Chicago and was not idiosyncratic who would bash what prosecutors alleged.

"To spell into Obama's metropolis to unreal determination are Trump supporters moving astir with MAGA hats? Give maine a break," Uche said.

Key moments successful the trial

The stars of the prosecution's lawsuit were the Osundairo brothers, who were extras connected the "Empire" TV show. They each testified that Smollett directed them and paid them to signifier the onslaught successful an effort to get media attention.

Bola Osundairo, who was person to Smollett, told the tribunal that Smollett "wanted maine to fake bushed him up." He said helium agreed to bash truthful due to the fact that helium felt indebted to the actor.

His member Ola Osundairo told jurors that Smollett "had this brainsick thought of having 2 MAGA supporters onslaught him," and that helium wanted "to enactment that connected societal media."

As per their plan, the brothers met Smollett astatine astir 2 a.m. by his apartment, they testified. There, arsenic helium had instructed, they yelled "Empire, f****t, n***er, MAGA," fake punched him, poured bleach connected him and enactment a noose astir his neck, they testified.

The defense, however, has repeatedly said Smollett was a existent unfortunate of an attack. They person suggested that the brothers were motivated by homophobia and/or an effort to scare Smollett into hiring them arsenic security.

Smollett took the basal to laic retired his mentation of events. He emphatically said helium did not program the onslaught up of clip and said helium paid the brothers $3,500 for grooming and nutritional proposal -- not for immoderate hoax attack.

"Have you ever planned a hoax?" his lawyer asked.

"Never successful my life," Smollett said.

He besides formed uncertainty connected the brothers' existent motivations. He said helium received a "hate letter" successful the message astatine the "Empire" workplace successful Chicago connected January 22, 2019, 7 days earlier the alleged attack. Afterward, Bola Osundairo approached him astir becoming his idiosyncratic information guard, thing Osundairo had repeatedly asked him, Smollett testified.

In addition, helium testified that helium formed a intersexual narration with Bola Osundairo but said helium was "creeped out" by Ola Osundairo. Bola Osundairo denied helium had immoderate intersexual narration with Smollett.