Jussie Smollett takes the stand to testify in his own defense: LIVE UPDATES

The protection has known as its sixth witness in the trial. As anticipated, Jussie Smollett himself has taken the stand.

The former “Empire” actor is at present giving testimony in his own protection as he tries to show that he didn’t orchestrate an alleged hate crime assault in opposition to himself in January of 2019.

Jussie Smollett’s protection legal professional Tina Glandian known as its fifth witness to the stand Monday, Brett Mahoney, a former Chicago journalist who labored as an government producer on seasons 4, 5 and 6 of “Empire.” 

The focus of Mahoney’s testimony had to do with the hate mail letter that Smollett obtained on the set. The prosecution alleges that Smollett despatched the letter to himself and that he staged the alleged hate crime assault in opposition to himself after he was displeased with how producers reacted to the letter. 

However, Mahoney testified that Smollett didn’t need numerous consideration to be paid to the hate mail letter. However, he was instantly given further safety due to it, however the actor repeatedly complained that they safety was too intrusive and didn’t need them following him residence. 

Upon cross-examination, the prosecution famous that the safety the actor obtained was for less than three days, and that the safety began six days after the letter was initially obtained.

Defense known as its fourth witness on Monday in Jussie Smollett’s trial and it was not the actor himself. 

Instead, Anthony Moore was known as to testify on the former “Empire” actor’s behalf. Moore labored as a safety guard for the Sheridan Hotel in downtown Chicago, positioned proper close to the place the alleged assault occurred. 

On that evening, he testified that he witnessed two males run previous him, shining his flashlight in the face of the first. Moore described the man who he shined a light-weight on as being a White man dressed in all-black with a ski-mask on. After that individual ran previous him, he witnessed one other, shorter man run previous however seemingly didn’t get take a look at him. 

Despite Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who alleged they have been tasked by Smollett with finishing up the assault, being Black males from Nigeria, Moore was adamant that one in every of the folks he noticed that evening was a White man. He additionally described seeing one other individual on the floor on all fours in the route that the two males have been working away from. Presumably, this was Smollett. 

If there actually was an individual apart from the Osundairo brothers there that evening, it might run counter to each their story and the story that has been accepted by Chicago Police and the prosecution. It would even be in holding with Smollett’s authentic assertion that White males jumped him, yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him and appeared to present their help for then-President Donald Trump. 

However, Moore states that when he gave an announcement to Special Prosecutor Dan Webb in his workplace on Jan. 9, 2020, another person wrote it out whereas he spoke. The assertion made no point out of a White man however Moore says he made it clear that’s what he noticed.

The prosecution rested its case in opposition to Jussie Smollett on Friday. Meanwhile, Judge Linn has mentioned that he expects jury deliberations in the case to start both in the present day or tomorrow. 

As a end result, many imagine that Smollett will seize in the present day as his final choice to take the stand and communicate in his own protection. However, there are a myriad of causes that somebody on trial usually doesn’t take the stand. Although the jury has been instructed not to learn into whether or not or not Smollett testifies, authorized specialists have informed The Associated Press that it might be his solely hope to win after the protection has seemingly struggled to inform his aspect of the story.

After the two brothers who allege Smollett instructed them to perform the assault testified and had a lot of what they mentioned backed by video and different proof discovered by Chicago police, many imagine that phrases instantly from Smollett could also be his solely hope to persuade a jury of his innocence. 

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