Jussie Smollett’s Trial Set to Begin Today With Jury Selection

More than two years after being accused by police of lying about being a victim of a hate crime, Jussie Smollett’s trial is set to begin.

In January 2019, the former “Empire” actor claimed that two men hit him, yelled anti-gay and racial slurs, threw a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him. Smollett denied staging the attack.

According to authorities, evidence was found and testimonies were taken from the alleged suspects who claimed Smollett paid the two men to attack him in order to gain fame and a boost in his career, a claim that he has rejected.

Smollett, 39, is charged with six counts of disorderly conduct and is suspected of making false police reports. Jury selection for the trial begins this morning. He has entered a not-guilty plea.

A false crime report charge is a Class 4 felony in Illinois, punishable by up to three years in jail and a fine of $25,000 if convicted. A judge would decide whether several counts of conviction would result in concurrent or consecutive sentences.

There was a time when it appeared that this case would not go to trial. Smollett’s initial set of charges, also for disorderly conduct, were dismissed suddenly by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in March 2019 after he completed community service and agreed to forfeit the $10,000 bond he had paid.

However, this sparked a controversy about whether Smollett had been mistreated, prompting a judge to appoint a special prosecutor, former US Attorney Dan K. Webb, to investigate the matter in August 2019.

This prompted a second grand jury to prosecute Smollett on the current allegations in February 2020. Smollett’s lawyers attempted to have the case dismissed on the grounds that it was double jeopardy, but Cook County Judge James Linn refused because Smollett had not been tried yet.

This trial will end a case that captivated the nation for weeks prior to the pandemic and has done nothing to help Smollett’s career.

Smollett’s support dwindled when friends, fans, and Hollywood rallied around him, many turned on him when police claimed he orchestrated the entire attack. Smollett’s character was cut from the Fox drama “Empire,” and despite directing and producing a film, he has yet to feature in any other role.

Some people expressed concern that the false claims might unfairly cast doubt on future hate crime victims.