Jussie Smollett trial begins with prosecutor alleging a bogus hate crime, defense claiming case was a ‘rush to judgment’
CHICAGO — After years of controversy and roller-coaster twists and turns, the trial of Jussie Smollett began Monday with prosecutors alleging the actor faked a hate crime that grabbed the nation’s attention and the defense calling that a “fantasy.”
In his opening statement, special prosecutor Dan Webb said that Smollett’s fakery was not just a criminal act — it was a despicable act that denigrated victims of actual hate crimes.
In his zeal for attention, Webb said, Smollett even “tampered” with the rope his accomplices had put around his neck “to make it look more like a lynching.”
“By the time the police get there, Mr. Smollett has moved the knot closer to his throat,” Webb said, pointing to a surveillance photo that showed the
