Jussie Smollett walks free from jail, claims he survived on ice water for 6 days behind bars

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(Video Credit: WGN News)

Disgraced actor Jussie Smollett unbelievably walked free from jail on bond Wednesday after serving only six days behind bars, dramatically claiming he survived on ice water and refused food while incarcerated following his conviction for staging a fake hate crime in 2019.

Smollett’s defense attorney Nenye Uche remarked after his release, “Ice water, that’s been his food and liquid. I can only imagine if I was in jail for something I didn’t do, I wouldn’t be eating.”

Uche claimed that his client had “nearly given up” after his conviction and outburst in court that landed him in a psych ward at the jail, according to the Daily Mail. He contends that Smollett was shocked after being told he was going home. He spent two days in the general population and four days in the psychiatric unit.

Smollett was released on a personal recognizance bond of $150,000 where he reportedly did not have to put any money down to get out, agreeing to appear in court when required. He is out pending an appeal on his conviction. Smollett was set free by a panel of three appellate judges who ruled 2 to 1 in favor of his release.

A number of experts weighed in on the court’s decision to spring Smollett. It directly contradicts the ruling by Judge James Linn who sentenced him to 150 days in jail and 30 months of felony probation as well as $120,106 in restitution for his crimes. The special treatment for the actor brings the question of actual justice into focus.

Smollett’s attorney previously argued that he was the victim of a double jeopardy conviction based on the Fifth Amendment, contending that it was “unconstitutional to charge someone twice” for the same offense. That same argument was broached on Wednesday in connection to Cook County state’s attorney Kim Foxx originally dismissing the indictment against the “Empire” actor in exchange for the forfeiture of his $10,000 bond.

The legal arguments are now leading to an appeal of the verdict against Smollett. Whether it will prevail in the end is another question.

Uche accused Judge Linn of having politicized Smollett’s trial, according to the Daily Mail.

“There is no room for politics in our court system, and our appellate courts do not play politics,” he flamboyantly declared. “I wondered to myself whether Chicago had seceded from the union. Because in this country, you cannot try someone twice. It is unconstitutional to try someone twice.”

“Mr. Smollett paid a $10,000 fine and did community service. There is no time machine to go back again and redo it. Then you retry the case. You give him 150 days in jail and restitution,” he asserted.

“Should black men be walked into jail with a class four felony? Shame on you if you think so. People are still trying to lock black men up and it’s a disgrace. The judge spent a great deal of time chastising, berating my client. I had never seen that before. I was not happy with it,” he remarked.

We are very happy with the ruling made by the Illinois District Appellate Court,” Uche later announced in a statement to Fox News. “We are pleased that sensationalism and politics will be put aside and we can finally have an intellectual discussion about our laws with our esteemed appellate court.”

“Three years ago, Jussie and the State of Illinois reached a deferred prosecution agreement in which he paid a $10,000 fine and performed community service. As a result, the case was dismissed,” he added. “To be recharged and prosecuted for the exact same thing, a second time, is not just morally wrong, but certainly double jeopardy and thus unconstitutional – especially as it concerns an innocent man.”

West Coast Trial Lawyers President Neama Rahmani pointed out that allegedly “there has to be a clear legal error” on the part of Judge Linn or prosecutors that allowed the actor’s release.

“There are a lot of people unhappy at Kim Foxx,” Rahmani unequivocally stated asserting that Smollett has a good chance of getting his conviction overturned.

“[Smollett] didn’t take a plea, that’s why it’s a weird issue,” he explained. “He didn’t take a plea. [Foxx] said, ‘Listen, forfeit your bond, and if you agree to do some community service, I’m going to dismiss.’ So that’s why it’s a weird legal issue.”

“We are gratified that Jussie will be back with his family and loved ones and look forward to a dispassionate review and reversal of the serial injustices visited upon him,” Smollett’s attorney Tina Glandian told Fox News after his release.

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