Jussie Smollett walked free from jail in Chicago on Wednesday night, soon after an Illinois state appellate court ruled he could go free while his legal team appeal his conviction for faking a hate crime attack to boost his career.
The 39-year-old former ‘EMPIRE’ actor walked free from jail in Chicago guarded by five giant men and remain silent as he was escorted into a waiting SUV that drove off from the Cook County Detention Center around 8 p.m. local time.
Smollett only spent six days behind bars and according to his attorney, the actor did not eat and consumed only ice water during those times. Smollett was initially sentenced to five months in prison after a judge found him guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for lying to police.
Smollett’s legal team argued that their client was charged twice unconstitutionally for the same offense because the actor was acquitted on all charges against him in 2019. Smollett falsely reported to cops in Chicago that two fans of President Trump attacked him with a noose and bleach and yelled racial slurs at him in 2018.
According to the court order, Smollett was released from a Chicago jail on a $150,000 individual bond after his lawyers filed an emergency motion to postpone his sentence on Monday.
Smollett’s lawyers also claimed that their client was at risk of a bad case of COVID-19 in jail because his immune system’s defenses are low and had been receiving threats over his high-profile conviction.
During his trial, Smollett had maintained his innocence and told the judge multiple times that he was in danger of being killed in jail in an outburst during his sentencing.
His next court date will be determined when defense lawyers file their non-emergency appeals.
