Case against Jussie Smollett focuses on how ‘hoax’ unraveled

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors will continue presenting their case against Jussie Smollett on charges he staged a fake assault on himself, prompting a massive Chicago police investigation. Officers testified Tuesday they responded to the reported attack in January 2019 thinking it was a horrific hate crime. But they later determined it was a hoax staged by Smollett, who is Black and gay. They say he got help from two brothers the actor worked with on the set of the TV show “Empire” in Chicago.  A lead investigator said the brothers detailed for police how Smollett orchestrated the hoax, including taking them for a “dry run” in his Chicago neighborhood.  Smollett is accused of filing a false police report. Defense attorney Nenye Uche has said Smollett is a “real victim.”