Jussie Smollett thanked fans for their support on Tuesday after having all the charges dropped against him in a sensational and unexplained move by Chicago prosecutors.
'I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have prayed for me, supported me and shown me love.
'No one will ever know how much that has meant to me. Not for a moment was it in vain,' he said.
After making his statement, Smollett took selfies with fans outside the courthouse then got into a waiting car.
He refused to say whether he planned to fight against Chicago Police Department or the prosecutor's office for accusing him of staging the January 29 attack, but said he would continue to 'fight for justice' and for the 'marginalized' people of the world.
It remains unclear what prompted the decision but the Cook County's State's Attorney's office said it was due in part to Smollett's 'volunteer service in the community.'
Police chiefs, who eviscerated the star when arresting him last month, are 'furious' about the decision and say they were not consulted.
They have called for an Attorney General probe into how State's Attorney Kim Foxx was exchanging text messages with a member of the Smollett family in the days afer the attack, trying to get the investigation taken over by the FBI at their request.
Smollett said in his statement that he would 'not be his mother's son' if he was capable of 'even a drop' of what he had been accused of.
His lawyers refused to answer reporters' questions about whether Smollett would sue the city and admitted that Smollett had agreed to forfeit his bond in order to 'move on'.
She said that brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo were the ones who attacked Smollett but gave no explanation as to why they did it.
Jussie Smollett said on Tuesday that he had never lied to police as he thanked fans for their support after having the charges dropped against him
Jussie Smollett smiled as he entered court on Tuesday after having the charges against him dropped
'After reviewing all of the facts and circumstanced of the case, including Mr. Smollett's volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,' a spokesman said.
The decision to drop the case comes after the Cook County's State's Attorney, Kim Foxx, recused herself over her contact with a member of Smollett's family in the hours after the attack.
Chicago Police chiefs, who were confident in their evidence against Smollett, are 'furious' about the decision, according to sources cited by local media.
They have already called for the Attorney General to investigate Foxx for her handling of the case because she tried to have it turned over to the FBI at the request of Smollett's family in the days after the attack.
Smollett was initially indicted by prosecutors with just one charge but a grand jury added another 15 on to it for every time he allegedly lied t
In a statement on Tuesday morning, Smollett's lawyers revealed the news.
'Today, all charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of the complaint against him.
'Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th.
'He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement.
'Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions.
This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion.
'That is wrong. It is a reminder that as a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect.
'Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.
'Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career.'
The actor was accused of paying brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo to attack him on January 29 outside his apartment at around 2am as he walked home from a Subway.
He claimed that he did not recognize the attackers but said they called him a 'f****t', n****r' and shouted: 'This is MAGA country!'
Abel and Ola Osundairo's lawyers said on Wednesday night that they 'manned up' by telling police that Smollett paid them
This is the state's case against Smollett, as laid out in their bond proffer that was submitted in court in February. It was an unusual step which signaled prosecutors' confidence in their evidence
For weeks, police insisted Smollett was still the victim but gradually, suspicion grew as details of the probe were leaked including the fact that he had not agreed to hand over his phone for police to search.
Eventually, on February 21, Smollett was arrested.
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the probe after it emerged she exchanged text messages with Smollett's relatives in the days after the incident
In a blistering press conference, he was eviscerated by Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson who accused him of lying about the attack to leverage it to get a raise on Empire.
They even claimed he gave himself facial injuries to try to make the attack more believable.
Smollett denied it angrily and posted bail but prosecutors were confident.
They took the unusual step of publishing his full bond proffer which detailed all the evidence they said they had against him, including phone calls between him and the brothers before and after the attack.
They also used a check he'd given them, purportedly for personal training, as apparent proof that he paid them for the attack.
Smollett was excluded from the final two episodes of Empire as a result of the scandal.
A spokesman for the network said it had no comment on the development on Tuesday.
The brothers are who told police that he paid them to stage the attack, but police insisted vociferously to have other evidence that backed up their claim.
Johnson even went on Good Morning America himself to say the state had more evidence against Smollett that had not been presented in an appearance after Smollett's arrest.
Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson tore through Smollett at a press conference where he labeled him 'shameful' and 'despicable'. He is said to be 'furious' by the decision to drop the charges
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/26/jussie-smollett-charges-dropped-against-empire-actor/
Main photo article Jussie Smollett thanked fans for their support on Tuesday after having all the charges dropped against him in a sensational and unexplained move by Chicago prosecutors.
‘I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have p...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/26/16/11482880-6852243-image-m-47_1553616943345.jpg
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