Jussie Smollett, an American actor, was freed from prison on March 16th. This was made possible by an Illinois state appellate court’s decision to let him walk free while his attorneys challenged his hate crime conviction.
The 39-year-old was escorted out of the Cook County Detention Center in Chicago by five huge guys before getting into a light-colored SUV at 8 p.m. local time.
The conviction and release of Jussie Smollett
Smollett reportedly drank just cold water and ate no food throughout his six days in custody, according to his lawyers. After being convicted on five charges of felony disorderly conduct for lying to the police, he was sentenced to five months in jail.
After charges against him were dismissed in 2019, Smollett’s attorneys argued that he was unconstitutionally accused twice for the same conduct. These allegations stemmed from an allegedly fake article released in 2018 alleging that prejudiced followers of former President Donald Trump attacked him with bleach and a noose.
After a special prosecutor looked into the matter amid global indignation, further charges were filed against him under the state’s disorderly conduct code a year later.
The jury then decided that the former Empire star had hired two guys to assault him in order to smear his reputation.
Why was Jussie Smollett let out of prison?
Smollett’s attorneys submitted an emergency plea to postpone his punishment on March 14. Because Smollett was convicted of “non-violent” counts, an appellate judge decided that he may be released on a $150,000 bail bond.
Jussie Smollett would not owe money until he missed his court appearances, so he wouldn’t have to go into his pockets, according to the deal.
The second case, according to Uche and three other defense attorneys, was unlawful and “racist” because of Smollett’s claims about alleged white assailants.
“There are several bogus allegations filed against black guys around the country. Nobody gives a damn. We’ve been whining about how African Americans are treated unfairly in the legal system. Should black guys be escorted to jail for a crime of class 4? If you believe they should, you should be ashamed.”
Smollett’s release was contested by prosecutor Dan Webb, who said that there was no exigency that warranted a stay of execution.
Webb stated in response to Smollett’s application for release that the actor had failed to provide any meaningful proof of the risk, calling his arguments “cursory and pathetically underdeveloped.”
Smollett was in danger of getting COVID-19 in jail, according to his lawyers, because of his immunocompromised state and threats he had received as a result of his high-profile conviction.
Following the March 14 motion,
Jussie Smollett was relocated to a detention cell with monitoring and kept away from other detainees. The actor’s ordeal was so painful, Uche admitted, that he “almost lost trust in our legal system and couldn’t eat.”
Throughout the trial, the actor maintained his innocence, warning the court during an outburst after his sentencing that he may be murdered in jail.
When Jussie Smollett’s defense attorneys file a non-emergency appeal, he will be scheduled for his next court appearance.
