CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett’s new defense attorneys used a news conference Monday to blast the actor’s prosecution in Cook County as “character assassination” and a waste of resources, and said they have proof that he is innocent.
Smollett’s new lawyers addressed reporters for the first time since signing on to the case earlier this year, saying they are eager to proceed in earnest after last week’s ruling that one of them — Nenye Uche — could stay on despite the prosecution’s claim that he had a conflict of interest.
“Like many people in Chicago, when I first heard of the Smollett case ... I was absolutely certain that he was guilty based on the media coverage,” Uche told reporters. “But I can say now categorically, looking at the evidence, hundreds of pages so far, and there are many, many more to look at, so far it’s obvious to us he’s absolutely innocent.”
Uche and his colleagues declined to specify what evidence points to Smollett’s innocence, saying that it would have to come out in court proceedings.
The actor found himself at the center of an international firestorm in early 2019 after he allegedly orchestrated a phony hate crime on himself. Cook County prosecutors initially charged him with disorderly conduct, then abruptly dropped the case outright about a month later, with little explanation.
A Cook County judge later appointed a special prosecutor to investigate, saying the initial case likely was void from the start since State’s Attorney Kim Foxx improperly assigned her own top deputy to handle the case after she withdrew. Special prosecutor Dan Webb brought Smollett up on charges again last year.
The six defense attorneys at Monday’s news conference, hired by Smollett earlier this year, are all Black. That was a deliberate decision on the actor’s part, attorney Tamara Walker said.
“His parents were civil rights activists, and he continued their cause,” she said. “It was important that his team was reflective ... of what the society looks like in Chicago.”
Smollett’s attorneys Monday questioned the amount of resources being brought to bear on such low-level charges. And the new prosecution might amount to, essentially, a breach of contract, they said. Smollett forfeited his bond money and showed proof of community service in exchange for the dropping of charges.
“A state’s attorney’s word is supposed to mean something,” attorney Ricky Granderson told reporters. “If they say something to a person who’s accused of a crime, they can’t just change their mind. ... If I say something to you and I go back on it, my word means nothing. So all we’re doing is holding them to that word.”
Judge James Linn, who is presiding over the case, indicated at a hearing earlier Monday that he is eager to rule on pretrial motions and get the case on track for trial.
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