CHICAGO - A verdict was reached late Thursday afternoon in the trial of Jussie Smollett, who is accused of staging a fake hate crime in Chicago.Initial charges brought in February 2019 that accused the former "Empire" actor of faking the assault were soon after tossed.
But in February 2020, after a special prosecutor looked into the case, a new six-count indictment was filed.DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APPCount 1 accused him of telling responding Chicago Police Officer Muhammed Baig at around 2:45 a.m., some 45 minutes after the purported attack, that he was the victim of a hate crime.
He said two attackers put a rope around his neck. Count 2 refers to Smollett telling the same officer he was a victim of a battery, describing attackers beating.