OAN Staff James Myers
9:16am – Thursday, November 21, 2024
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned disgraced actor Jussie Smollett's hate crime hoax conviction.
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On a technicality, the court found that Smollett's rights were violated by the special prosecutor's decision to try him after the original charges against him had previously been dropped.
“Today we resolve the issue regarding the state's responsibility to comply with the agreements it entered into with the defendants,” the court said in documents obtained. fox news digital. “Specifically, we will discuss whether dismissal of a case through procedural proceedings allows the state to re-prosecute cases where the dismissal was entered into as part of an agreement with the defendant and the defendant has fulfilled his or her part of the arrangement. We find that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a violation of due process, and therefore, we vacate the defendant's conviction.”
accusation against the formerempire' actor was initially dropped after Special Counsel Kim Foxx called for a new investigation. Mr. Smollett was convicted of five felonies and later sentenced to 150 days in county jail. The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that the special prosecutor's decision to retry Smollett violated his rights.
Smollett, who is black and gay, was arrested by Chicago police after he claimed two men wearing MAGA hats assaulted him while shouting homophobic and racial slurs and put a noose around his neck. A search was conducted.
At the time of the raid, the “attack” was making national headlines before a Chicago police investigation revealed it was all a hoax.
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