The single Black juror on the case said Jussie's story just didn't add up...
From ABC Chicago
The 63-year-old, who lives in Bellwood, is a retired Cook County Forest Preserves employee. He's married with two sons who are around Smollett's age.
He said the actor's claim that the Osundairo brothers attacked him for real simply made no sense.
"Two o'clock in the morning. Cold outside. When you just use your common sense as what's there, yeah it just, it didn't add up," said Hope.
He also said the noose, used in the staged attack, was a critical piece of evidence. After wearing the rope home, Smollett claimed he took it off then put it on for police to see.
"As an African American person, I'm not putting that noose back on at all," Hope stated.
Hope said the jury never argued, was never deadlocked, and simply took its time to be thorough during nine and a half hours of deliberation. He praised his fellow jurors, but said he was disappointed to be the lone African American on the panel.
"Because how can we say that this is a jury of your peers when there's only one African American?" he explained. "And there were plenty there, so you could've gotten two, three four. African Americans can handle the truth, too. And we can give an impartial judgement on a case."
