Jussie Smollett Requests New Trial!

Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett wants a new trial in Chicago or a not guilty verdict after he was convicted of falsely reporting a hate crime against himself in 2019…

CelebnMusic247.com reports that Jussie Smollett’s attorneys accuse the court of making “numerous trial errors leading up to the trial and during the pendency of the trial.”

According to documents obtained by NBC News, Smollett’s defense team also said the evidence presented by prosecutors during the trial was “insufficient and inconsistent so that no reasonable trier of fact could have found Mr. Smollett guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and thus there is evidence that the jury verdict was contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence.”

Jussie Smollett wants to try to prove his innocence once again.

As previously reported, in December actor Jussie Smollett, 39, was found guilty and convicted on 5 counts (out of 6) of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the hate crime he experienced back in January 2019.

The former “Empire” star received 1 count for each separate time he was charged with lying to Chicago police in the days following the alleged assault. However, he was acquitted on the 6th count, which was for allegedly lying to a detective again a few weeks after the reported incident occurred.

Back in December 2021, Smollett was found guilty of up to five counts of felony disorderly conduct for staging a hate crime against himself and falsifying a police report. The jury found that the actor recruited brothers Abimbola and Olabingo Osundairo to accost him in hopes of raising his social status. With just two weeks before the actor was set to be sentenced, Smollett’s legal team disputed all charges set against the actor. Although Smollett could be facing up to three years behind bars, it is up to the judge to decide if he will have to serve his time.

The filing says:

As such, the Defendant now respectfully requests that his convictions be vacated or in the alternative, that the Court grant the Defendant a new trial.

After the guilty verdict, his attorney Nenye Uche told reporters Smollett is “100% innocent,” and the team is confident “he’s going to be cleared of all, all accusations on all charges. The verdict is inconsistent,” he said. “You can’t say Jussie is lying and say Jussie is not lying for the same exact incident.”

Thoughts?