Charges against ” Empire” star Jussie Smollett were dropped in a stunning account from the Cook County State Attorney’s office.
It was announced that all 16 felony counts against Smollett, 36, were dropped in a nolle pros and the record in the case was sealed. Smollett voluntarily forfeited his bond money. Smollett’s attorney, Patricia Brown-Holmes, said the funds would likely go to the city of Chicago.
The charges had come after Smollett allegedly staged his own hate crime.
While everyone thought that Smollett had rescued himself a local Chicago judge decided to react.
According to a new Reuters report Chicago judge may tap a special prosecutor to review the case.
Cook County Judge Michael Toomin scheduled a status hearing related to the case for Friday morning. Court records do not indicate the purpose of the hearing, but local newspapers reported the only outstanding item remaining in the case is for Toomin to name a special prosecutor.
In June, Toomin said he would appoint a special prosecutor to the case after receiving a petition from former Illinois appellate court Judge Sheila O’Brien.
Toomin said at the time the case’s “unprecedented irregularities” warranted the appointment “to restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system,” the Tribune reported.
The special prosecutor could bring fresh charges against Smollett and charges against anyone else who is believed to have committed a crime during the incident and investigation, the Tribune reported, citing Toomin’s ruling in June.
It seems that Kim Foxx who was Smollett prosecutor in his case could face serious charges too!
Kim Foxx has been subpoenaed to appear at a hearing over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case, according to a report.
The Cook County state’s attorney was slapped with the subpoena by a retired judge who’s pushing for the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into how Foxx dealt with the controversial case, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Ex-appellate Judge Sheila O’Brien also subpoenaed Foxx’s top deputy
Joseph Magats, and filed a document requesting that Smollett appears at
the hearing, the report said.
O’Brien charged that Foxx’s handling of the case was “plagued with irregularity.
“Foxx’s conflict in this matter is beyond dispute,” O’Brien wrote, adding that Foxx should have sought the appointment of a special prosecutor. “Instead, Foxx misled the public into believing that Smollett’s case was handled like any other prosecution and without influence.”
The former judge asked that Foxx and Magats produce all the original documents in the case.
Justice is coming after all!
What do you think?
