One of the Nigerian brothers who says he was hired by Jussie Smollett to stage a hoax attack last year told his trial on Wednesday that the pair frequented ‘bathhouses’ and ‘strip clubs’ together before the January 2019 stunt.
Abel Osundairo took the stand on Wednesday afternoon to testify how Smollett had hired him and his brother, Ola, to attack Smollett in a faked hate crime.
Smollett, 39, has been charged with six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to the police about the January 29, 2019, attack that he says he was a victim of.
Brothers Ola and Bola Osundairo told police that Smollett hired them to beat him because he felt producers of the show he starred on, Empire, didn’t do enough to protect him after he received a racist and homophobic letter on set.
The brothers also told police that Smollett sent himself the letter for attention, according to police sources.
On his way in to court, Abel – who has been accused of being homophobic – was calm as he breezed up the courthouse steps.
‘I’m here to do what I’ve got to do. Not to tell my truth but to tell the truth. You don’t have to be nervous when you got the truth on your side,’ he said.
Once he was on the stand, he told the jury that he and Smollett were friends after being introduced by a mutual acquaintance. He then said he’d brief part on Empire, standing in for one of Smollett’s love interests.
Throughout their friendship, he testified that he and Smollett visited ‘clubs, stripclubs and a bathhouse’ together. He said the pair attended one of Smollett’s concerts, and that Smollett asked him to buy him ‘weed, cocaine and molly.’
Osundairo also told the court that he did not charge Smollett for diet plans because when they would go out to party, Smollett would normally pick up the tab.
Abel Osundairo took the stand on Wednesday afternoon to testify how Smollett had hired him and his brother, Ola, to attack Smollett in a faked hate crime. He told the court that he visited ‘clubs, stripclubs and bathhouses’ with Smollett when they were friends, and would buy drugs for him
Jussie Smollett arrives in court with his mother Janet, sister Jurnee and other members of his family on Wednesday for the third day of the trial
Smollett and his mother Janet arriving at the court in Chicago on Wednesday for day three of the trial. It remains unclear i fhe will testify
Smollett escorted his mother into court as he has done every day since the trial began. He maintains he is innocent
Smollett’s defense claims he didn’t know it was Ola and Bola who attacked him because they were in disguise and wearing masks. He maintains that he thought one of them was white, and claims the brothers are ‘sophisticated criminals’ who set the attack up after pretending to befriend him.
On Wednesday, the third day of the trial, Chicago Police Department Detective Kimberly Murray testified that she went to the hospital to interview Smollett after the incident and noticed he had ‘minor’ injuries on his face.
She told the court in Chicago that he couldn’t understand why the attack hadn’t been caught on surveillance cameras and was ‘upset’, that it hadn’t.
Abel and Ola Osundairo are the brothers who say Smollett paid them to attack him. They are expected to take the stand as witnesses at the trial, and to repeat their previous claim that he paid them $3500 to stage the attack
Murray is now being cross-examined by Jussie’s defense team.
Yesterday, Chicago Detective Michael Theis told the jury of six men and six women – ten of whom are white, one of whom is black and one of whom is Hispanic – that the entire police department was determined to find who was responsible for the attack when they first believed it was a hate crime.
‘It was horrible. It was a hate crime. The noose.
‘The bleach. Everyone from the mayor on down wanted answers,’ Theis testified, according to CBS Chicago, which Judge James Linn allowed into the courtroom on Tuesday morning, after refusing to let most journalists inside for jury selection then limiting the number who he will allow to observe the trial because of COVID restrictions.
Theis also testified that after the initial attack was reported to police, Smollett ‘tightened’ the rope that the brothers had put around his neck to make it more like a noose before cops arrived at his apartment.
Under cross-examination by Smollett’s attorney however, he admitted that he’d heard from another member of the Empire cast that Bola, who’d worked on set, attacked them for being gay. The police never followed it up.
Smollett’s attorney also prompted him to reveal they had found homophobic social media posts on the brothers’ phone, where homosexual men were referred to as ‘fruits’.
Abel Osundairo is shown arriving at court to testify on Wednesaday with his attorney. He said he was not nervous because he had ‘the truth on his side’
Jussie Smollett was sent this letter at the studio in Chicago where he filmed Empire on January 22, a week before the ‘attack’. The brothers told police that he hired them because he was angry the studio didn’t do more to protect him afterwards
Jurors were shown footage of the Nigerian brothers involved in the alleged hate crime with Smollett two days before buying the supplies used in the attack
This is the rope purchased by the brothers to place around Smollett’s neck in the days before the ‘hoax’ attack
The detective on Tuesday testified that he thinks Smollett tightened the rope around his neck before police arrived to make it look more like a noose
They intend to argue that the pair pretended to befriend Jussie, with the intention of later attacking him for being gay.
The jury of six men and six women (ten of whom are white, one of whom is black and one of whom is Hispanic), was shown two photos of him – one taken before cops arrived at his apartment and one taken afterwards – that suggested he’d tightened the rope for effect.
Under cross-examination by Smollett’s attorney however, he admitted that he’d heard from another member of the Empire cast that Bola, who’d worked on set, attacked them for being gay. The police never followed it up.
Smollett’s attorney also prompted him to reveal they had found homophobic social media posts on the brothers’ phone, where homosexual men were referred to as ‘fruits’.
He also said that someone else that another gay cast member of Empire complained that Ola had attacked him because he is gay.
The trial is expected to last a week.
TIMELINE OF JUSSIE SMOLLETT HOAX ATTACK SCANDAL
Jan. 22, 2019
Smollett receives a racist and homophobic threatening letter at the studio in Chicago where “Empire” is filmed. Police later say they believe Smollett sent the letter himself.
The brothers said Smollett also sent himself this letter to the Fox studio where Empire is filmed a week before the attack. If he did, he faces another 5-10 years in prison on a federal mail fraud charge
Police say Smollett cut his own cheek to make it look like he had suffered injuries in the attack. He is shown in a hospital bed selfie FaceTiming Lee Daniels, the show’s creator, hours after the attack
Jan. 29, 2019
Jussie Smollett tells police he was attacked by two men in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m.
The actor says the men used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an “unknown substance” on him.
Police say Smollett, who is Black and gay, told detectives the attackers also yelled he was in “MAGA country’
Jan. 30, 2019
Chicago police say they’ve reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, including of Smollett walking downtown, but none shows the attack.
Police obtain and release images of two people they want to question, calling them ‘persons of interest’
Feb. 1, 2019
Smollett issues a statement saying he’s OK, that he’s working with authorities and has been ‘100 percent factual and consistent on every level.’
Feb. 2, 2019
Smollett opens a concert in West Hollywood, California, with an emotional speech, saying he had to play the show because he couldn’t let his attackers win
Police released this image of ‘persons of interest’ taken near the reported attack
Feb. 13, 2019
Chicago police pick up two Nigerian brothers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after police learn at least one worked on Empire
Police question them and search their apartment
Jussie Smollett on Good Morning America on February 14, 2019
February 20, 2019
Smollett is charged
Feb. 21, 2019
Chicago police say Smollett surrenders to face a felony charge of disorderly conduct, punishable by up to three years in prison.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted publicity. Investigators say they have a $3,500 check that Smollett used to pay the two brothers to help him.
Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson tore through Smollett at a press conference on Thursday where he labeled him ‘shameful’ and ‘despicable’
Feb. 22, 2019
Jussie Smollett is shown in his mugshot in February 2019
Empire producers say Smollett’s character to be removed from the final two episodes of the season.
March 7, 2019
A Cook County grand jury returns a 16-count indictment charging Smollett with falsely reporting an offense
March 26, 2019
Smollett’s attorneys say charges alleging he lied to police have been dropped.
March 28, 2019
A city official says Chicago is seeking $130,000 from Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into his reported beating, which police say was staged.
Smollett’s attorney Tina Glandian claims on TV that the attackers could have been wearing ‘white face’ and that’s what made him describe them as light-skinned
April 11, 2019
The city of Chicago files a lawsuit seeking to recoup the investigation costs.
Jussie Smollett’s lawyer Tina Glandian suggested on Thursday that the reason he told police his Nigerian attackers were white was because they ‘might have been wearing white face’ and had disguised themselves. Her evidence of the theory is 2016 video of Abel Osundairo (right) dressed up as the Joker
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the Smollett case
April 23, 2019
The brothers who said they helped Smollett stage the attack file a defamation lawsuit against the actor’s attorneys.
Aug. 23, 2019
Judge names former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb as special prosecutor to investigate why charges against Smollett were dropped.
Feb. 11, 2020
Webb says grand jury returns six-count indictment against Smollett, accusing him of lying to police.
Feb. 24, 2020
Smollett pleads not guilty to restored charges.
Oct. 15, 2021
Judge James Linn denies a last-ditch effort to dismiss the criminal case against Smollett and sets his trial for Nov. 29.
November 29, 2021: Jury selection begins
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