GUILTY IL - Actor Jussie Smollett allegedly attacked in hate crime, Jan 2019 #6 *GUILTY*

[shotgun09]

Jason Meisner
@jmetr22b
·
5m
Graves said Smollett had "put two and two together and he realized (the Osundairo brothers) were in custody for the crime. But he said he felt they were innocent. "He said it can’t be them, they’re black as sin," Graves quoted Smollett as saying.

"Graves said Smollett told police he was willing to sign a criminal complaint against the brothers for the attack. But his attorney stopped him."

"They're now showing jurors an image of the text Smollett sent to Abel less than 2 hours after the re-interview, saying he had their backs and knows "1000% they did nothing wrong." That text was first revealed yesterday: "

"Graves says everything in the text was "inconsistent" with what Smollett had told them minutes earlier, that he was willing to press charges against the brothers."

 

[Kristin Esq.]

Jussie Smollett is a real piece of work. He reminds me of Jodi Arias. Thank god he didn't kill anyone, but he is so gd childish and obstinate. The charade he staged is outrageous. I am from Chicago and I remember when the story first broke. Initially, I felt so sad. But when the details started to come out, I remember thinking to myself, this doesn't sound like a Chicago crime, as weird as that may sound. Everyone knows all about the horrible crime we have in Chicago, and no doubt there is plenty, but his embellishments about MAGA country, the extreme cold, the subway sandwich, etc... it just sounded off. Chicago PD was, and still is, worked to the bone. That this loser wasted so much of their time and contiues to insist his truth and is now accusing CPD of bad stuff is disgusting.

Has he had to pay any money back to the city for their wasted resources? I haven't been following that closely.

 

[mickey2942]

I really have to wonder about his family here. If this was my son, he would have had a serious beat down with his Daddeh.

 

[shotgun09]

Jason Meisner
@jmetr22b
Here is the text...note that previous chatter between them was about doing pull-ups.

 

[shotgun09]

Jason Meisner
@jmetr22b
·
16m
Graves was asked whether in his three decades as a police officer, he'd ever had a purported victim do what Jussie Smollett did. "One," Graves replied. Asked who it was, Graves slowly rose from his chair, pointed at Smollett at the defense table, and said, "Mr. Smollett."

We are on cross-examination of Graves now. Smollett attorney Nenye Ushe is putting on a show, asking why we should believe that a black man would use the phrase "black as sin." At one point Ushe started to ask a question, then said, "Strike that. This is so weird."

 

[TTF14]

It is really hard to wrap one's brain around just how delusional Jussie must be to think he's gonna get away with this. That anyone believes him. What's he thinking????

 

[mickey2942]

It is really hard to wrap one's brain around just how delusional Jussie must be to think he's gonna get away with this. That anyone believes him. What's he thinking????

Next up, lovers quarrel, and Ola was getting back at JS. All an elaborate scheme to get back being spurned.

 

[shotgun09]

Next up, lovers quarrel, and Ola was getting back at JS. All an elaborate scheme to get back being spurned.

From my very limited observations ( tweets), my opinion of the defense attorney is that he is a drama producing character, and not to be taken seriously. He seems to be all for the ' flair'.

Court Jester? perhaps

 

[katydid23]

Jason Meisner

@jmetr22b
·
44m

JUST IN: Abimbola Osundairo (pictured left) on of two brothers allegedly hired by #JussieSmollett to fake a hate crime, is expected to take the witness stand in Smollett’s trial after the lunch break.
@crepeau
will be in court for us so give her a follow!

 

[katydid23]

Charlie De Mar
@CharlieDeMar
·
1m

Replying to
@CharlieDeMar
Abel now on the stand--Talking to the jury about his acting career. Says Spike Lee hand-picked him as an extra to become a principle actor



He said he regularly appeared as an extra on the show Empire

 

[katydid23]

[URL='https://twitter.com/CharlieDeMar']Charlie De Mar[/URL]
Osundairo didn't meet Smollett on set. Instead they were introduced through a mutual friend. They hung out at Smollett's apartment
@cbschicago

"Osundairo: We would go to the club, we would go to the strip club. I’ve been to a concert of his and we would go to a bathhouse."--When asked what Smollett and Osundairo did when hanging out.

Smollett would ask Osundairo to buy drugs for him. "Weed, cocaine and Molly"

 

[katydid23]

Megan Crepeau
@crepeau

Smollett would ask Abimbola to buy weed, molly and cocaine for him, Abimbola testifies. In an attempt to refute the defense's accusations that the Osundairos were homophobic, Webb asks if the fact Smollett is gay interfered with their friendship at all. Abimbola says it did not.



Megan Crepeau

Over the next year and a half, Abimbola and Smollett would hang out once or twice a month, often going to nightclubs, strip clubs or bathhouses, Abimbola testifies, and Olabinjo Osundairo joined them to hang out a handful of times.



Abimbola didn't meet or get to know Smollett for the year or so that they were both working on Empire. Rather, he met Smollett in fall 2017 when a mutual friend invited him to Smollett's house, he testifies.


Abimbola says he became very close friends with Smollett: "I would call him my brother." Smollett pulled some strings to help him get a stand-in position on the Empire set, he said.

 

[khaki]

Has he had to pay any money back to the city for their wasted resources? I haven't been following that closely.

Not that I have heard. He should have to for sure.

 

[katydid23]

Megan Crepeau

Abimbola (who also goes by Abel) founded "Team Abel," which started off as an Instagram page and then expanded into creating health plans for clients: "We got into creating diet or meal plans and exercise plans for people bc they liked the way we looked, and they were inspired."

Abimbola testifying about his successful amateur boxing career. I'm guessing prosecutors are bringing this up so later on they can argue that if the brothers had outright attacked Smollett, he would have been far more seriously injured than he was

Instead, prosecutors have said, Smollett asked them to pull their punches.

Part of the defense’s case has been that Smollett was reluctant to turn over his phone to police because there was evidence on there of him buying/using drugs. So I don’t think they mind


In Jan 2019, Smollett asked Abimbola to help him out with getting toned for an upcoming music video shoot. Abimbola agreed to put together a meal and exercise plan for him, services he'd usually charge $30-$80 for. But he intended to give Smollett the plans for free, he testified


The Osundairos wrote up a grocery list and meal plan for Smollett, Abimbola testifies. Shop for Starkist tuna, chicken thighs and avocados, they told him, and drink two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before each meal.

 

[katydid23]

Osundairo: He would charge $50-$80 for meal plans and $30-$50 exercise plans for various clients. Establishing cost of his services because Smollett defense claims the $3,500 check Smollett wrote to bros was for nutrition/training and not to stage attack


[URL='https://twitter.com/CharlieDeMar']Charlie De Mar[/URL]
Osundairo: He said that he didn't plan on charging Smollett from training/nutrition advice because Smollett was a good friend and when they would go out together Smollett would always pick up the tab.

 

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Megan Crepeau
@crepeau
·
19m
Abimbola needed a bathroom break. A sheriff's deputy escorted him there and back. Judge Linn is has just sworn the deputy in so Smollett's attorneys can question the deputy about whether Abimbola talked to his attorney about the case while he was en route."

"All he did was complain of being chilly, per the deputy. "Mr. Bola just mentioned that it was very cool in the courtroom. That's pretty much it."

 

[shotgun09]

Megan Crepeau
@crepeau
·
18m
Jurors just viewed the threatening letter Smollett received at the Empire studio. Scrawled in red marker is a stick figure hanging by a noose, with a gun pointed at it. "MAGA" is written where the return address should have been."

"Webb: “did you think it was a little unusual he showed you this note?” Abimbola: "yes."

"Jurors are viewing the now-infamous text from Smollett to Abimbola: “Might need your help on the low, You around to meet up and talk face to face?”

"The Osundairos were planning to leave for Nigeria not too long after this text was sent. Smollett's defense has repeatedly said the text was a prelude to asking the brothers to get him herbal supplements while they were there"

"Smollett met Abimbola at the Cinespace studios, then they went for a drive. "(Smollett) talked about how the studio was not taking the hate mail seriously ... then he proceeded to tell me he wanted me to beat him up," Abimbola testifies"

"I was confused, I looked puzzled, and then he explained that he wanted me to fake beat him up," Abimbola continued. "He told me that we would need another person to fake beat him up and he mentioned could my brother do it? I said yes."

"Abimbola said he agreed to the plan because he felt indebted to Smollett for getting him the stand-in role on "Empire," and he knew Smollett could help him further his acting career"

"Smollett pulled the car into an alley near the brothers' apartment, and Olabinjo Osundairo joined them in the car. "He told Ola he would want us to fake beat him up, then we went over the details of what he wanted us to say and do," Abimbola testified."

 

[Puzzles8]

Has he had to pay any money back to the city for their wasted resources? I haven't been following that closely.

This article gives a good timeline of the case.
Jussie Smollett case: Timeline of key moments leading up to trial on disorderly conduct charges

Two quotes from the article regarding money for wasted resources:

April 12, 2019
Chicago files a civil lawsuit against Smollett demanding that the actor pay the city $130,000 for the cost of the investigation.
City attorneys write in the suit, "Defendant knew his attackers and orchestrated the purported attack himself. Later, when police confronted him with evidence, he still refused to disclose his involvement."

November 20, 2019
Attorneys for Smollett file a counterclaim against the City of Chicago in the lawsuit seeking reimbursement for the expenses used to investigate the actor's case.
In the counterclaim, his attorneys say that by allowing the city to keep the bail money, that payment prevents the City from collecting any additional damages."

JMO, MOO

 

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Megan Crepeau
@crepeau
·
2m
The initial plan was to throw gasoline on Smollett, but it was changed to bleach, for reasons Abimbola says he does not recall. Smollett specifically mentioned there would be a camera on him, which he wanted to capture the fake attack, Abimbola says. "

"I was supposed to punch him but not too hard, then tussle," Abimbola testifies. "He wanted it to look like he was fighting back so I was supposed to give him a chance to fight back." Smollett wanted Abimbola to punch him because he didn't trust Ola to pull his punches, he says "

"During their dress rehearsal for the fake assault, Abimbola says, Smollett pointed to a camera and said he wanted to use the footage of the attack "for media."

 

[Puzzles8]

Jason Meisner
@jmetr22b
·
13m
Smollett declined to give police his cell phone, Murray testifies, even though she explained to him they would not keep it long and that it was important to establish a timeline of the crime. Also the attack could be related to the homophobic call he says he received days earlier"

Murray concludes direct examination by saying she had a phone interview with Smollett on Jan 30 and told him the POD camera did not capture the attack. "Mr. Smollett was upset by this ... he was upset that the attack was not captured on the camera."

There must have been something very incriminating on his cellphone. Off the top of my head, I'd suggest past text conversations and names included in his contact list.

Just a wild guess, but he might have had politicians in his contact list....

As always, JMO, MOO, etc.

 

[al66pine]

Which of these two things is more devastating for an actor --- being unrecognized on the street or being on trial for a crime like this?
No name recognition? A blow to the ego? my2ct

_____________________________
Q & A w LEOs on the stand (my summary kinda, sorta paraphrasing)
LEO witness
When you arrived on scene did you recognize him? Know that it was JS? Ever heard his name? Know that he was an actor? Ever heard of the TV series Empire? Know that he had a lead acting role in that series for five seasons? etc.
No. No. No. No. No. No. etc.

Other LEO witness
When you began the interview did you recognize him as an actor? Know that it was JS? Hit TV series? etc
No. No. No. etc.