Jussie Smollett Seeks New Trial Or Not Guilty Verdict Following Conviction For Falsely Reporting Hate Crime

Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett Seeks New Trial Or Not Guilty Verdict Following Conviction For Falsely Reporting Hate Crime

Jussie Smollett wants to try to prove his innocence once again.

As previously reported, in December actor Jussie Smollett, 39, was found guilty and convicted on 5 counts (out of 6) of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the hate crime he experienced back in January 2019. Reportedly, the former “Empire” star received 1 count for each separate time he was charged with lying to Chicago police in the days following the alleged assault. However, he was acquitted on the 6th count, which was for allegedly lying to a detective again a few weeks after the reported incident occurred.

Jussie Smollett

According to new reports, Jussie Smollett’s defense team recently filed documents asking the court to either reverse the verdict and find him not guilty of disorderly conduct for faking a police report or grant him a new trial.

The documents argue that Smollett’s constitutional rights were violated when the court reportedly prevented his defense team from actively participating in the jury selection process. According to Smollett, his legal team also wasn’t allowed to ask questions of potential jurors and they believe that that jury pool was tainted. Smollett adds that prosecutors involved with the case showed a pattern of racism in selecting jurors and pressured witnesses to give false testimony.

Smollett’s argument for why the verdict should be reversed didn’t stop there. The court documents also claim that the judge over the trial was wrong for banning the media and public from the courtroom and limited the defense questioning of witnesses.

Jussie Smollett

Do you think Jussie Smollett should be granted a new trial? Or should the actor’s request be denied? Tell us below!

[VIA]