Jussie Smollett is now free from sixteen felony counts after allegedly staging a hate crime in January, according to a CNN report. The incident took place late January. Before the controversial incident, he received a hate mail after his work on January 22, with the word MAGA on the envelope.
On January 29, the Chicago Police Department opens an investigation after Smollett reports being attacked.
He described it as two people approaching him at 2 in the morning yelling racial and homophobic slurs before making him pass out with an unknown substance and after that, wrapping a noose around his neck.
The Verdict
The hate crime that caused such a commotion turned the victim into a suspect in a matter of days. After the accusation of Smollett being the perpetrator of the whole incident, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson wasted no time in grilling the Empire star on national television.
However, in a shocking turn of events, The Cook County State's Attorney's Office dropped all charges, leaving Chicago PD and other officials unhappy of the verdict.
On the other side, Empire show writers and 20th Fox Television can now breathe, tweeting their support and standing by Smollett's side. The prosecutors released a statement as to why they dropped the charges. In summary, it was because Smollett was not only willing to do community service but also forfeit a $10,000 bond. He also has no history of a felony prior to the incident and is not seen as a danger to society.
In need of an apology
Understandably, Chicago PD and other city officials are not satisfied with the prosecutor's verdict. Johnson expressed his belief that the city owes them an apology. In a joint press conference, he and Mayor Rahm Emanuel criticized Smollett and the prosecutor's office on the outcome of the case.
Johnson states that he believed the investigation they made was conducted fairly. For Johnson, it was Smollett who staged the hate crime, and that's that. Meanwhile, Mayor Emanuel claimed it was a whitewash of justice and believed that a secret deal was made.
Moving forward
According to CNN, Smollett has denied all accusations of brokering a deal with the prosecutor's office in order to be free of all charges. In his speech, he thanked his loved ones, the people of Chicago and the rest of the world for their outpouring support throughout his trial. He, the cast and writers of Empire and Fox, are now eager to leave all of this behind and concentrate on the show.