Taking the stand as prosecutors began their case against Smollett, former Chicago police detective Michael Theis said he initially viewed the actor as a victim of a homophobic and racist attack and that they “absolutely” didn’t rush to judgment. Uche also suggested that a third attacker was involved and told jurors there was not a “shred“ of physical and forensic evidence linking Smollett to the crime prosecutors allege. “When he reported the fake hate crime, that was a real crime,” Webb said. Webb told jurors Smollett was unhappy about how the studio handled the letter, which included a drawing of a stick figure hanging from a tree and “MAGA,” a reference to Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign slogan. “They are going to lie to your face,” Uche told the jury.

Source: CNN December 01, 2021 01:38 UTC