Jussie Smollett Trial: Defense Attorney Calls For Mistrial And Accuses Judge Of Lunging At Her; Judge Denies Claims And Motion – CBS Chicago
Abel Osundairo also returned to the witness stand Thursday and his brother Ola also testified in Jussie Smollett’s trial, with both claiming that Smollett asked and paid them to stage a racist and homophobic attack against him.
CHICAGO (CBS) — A defense attorney called for a mistrial in the Jussie Smollett trial Thursday, after a wild few moments in which she accused the judge of lunging at her.
As CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar reported, this happened during a sidebar conversation with attorneys from both sides and Cook County Judge James Linn. Defense attorney Tamara Walker asked for a mistrial because of a comment that Judge Linn made, and then she began crying and accused Judge Linn of physically lunging at her in the courtroom.
Star witness Abel Osundairo started the day on the receiving end of an intense line of questioning by Smollett defense attorney Shay Allen:
Allen: “When did you and Jussie start dating?”
Abel Osundairo: “What? We were never dating.”
Allen: “Were you using the sexual tension between you to progress your acting career?”
Abel Osundairo: “I didn’t know there was sexual tension.”
Smollett, who is Black and openly gay, had told police he was attacked as he was walking home on Lower North Water Street around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2019. He claimed two masked men – one of them also wearing a red hat – shouted racist and homophobic slurs as they beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured a chemical on him. Police and prosecutors have said Smollett orchestrated it himself, paying the Osundairo brothers $3,500 to help stage the attack.
Testimony revealed Smollett wanted to use the security video of the incident for publicity, but the actual attack was not caught on camera.
We spoke to Abel before he began testifying on Wednesday. CBS 2’s De Mar asked him if he was nervous.
