Tuesday marked the first day of testimony in the trial of disgraced former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, with the lead detective on the case testifying for more than eight hours.

His testimony did not go so well for Smollett.

Detective Testifies In Smollett Trial 

Michael Theis acted as the main investigator after Smollett claimed in January of 2019 that he was jumped in Chicago by two men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him while also shouting “this is MAGA country!”

After spending thousands of collective hours doing everything they could to investigate this case, Theis testified that police concluded that Smollett had staged this hate crime. 

“At the end of our investigation we determined that the alleged hate crime was actually a staged event and that it did not occur,” Theis testified on the stand, according to WGNTV. 

When asked by prosecutor Samuel Mendenhall why the Chicago Police Department would devote so much time and energy to this case, Theis replied, “This was horrible. The crime was a hate crime but a horrible hate crime. There was a noose, there was bleach…Everybody wanted to know what happened. From the mayor on down, everybody wanted answers.”

Here’s a news clip of Jussie Smollett going into court:

Related: Jussie Smollett Trial: Legal Experts Say He Will Likely Be Found Guilty

Prosecutors Make Case Against Smollett

Prosecutors believe that Smollett paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to attack him so that he could garner publicity that he hoped would result in him getting a bigger salary on “Empire.”

Special prosecutor Dan Webb told the jury that Smollett made sure to tell police that he was attacked by supporters of Donald Trump in an attempt to play off the political divisions that are currently plaguing our nation, according to ABC News. 

Also on Tuesday, the jury saw Smollett take part in what prosecutors say was a “dry run” of the alleged hate crime one day before the actual alleged attack. 

Despite all of the evidence against him, Smollett has maintained his innocence. The New York Post reported that defense attorney Nenye Uche told the jury that a “real crime” occurred here, and that the Osundarios brothers attacked the actor because they “did not like him as a person.”

Related: Jussie Smollett Swears Up And Down He’s Innocent In New Interview: ‘It’s Bulls–t!’

Smollett Facing Three Years In Prison 

If convicted for staging this hate crime for his own personal gain – a publicity stunt – Smollett is facing up to three years in prison.

The millions of Americans who firmly believe that Smollett tried to play off the racial and political divisions that America is facing now will certainly want to see him finally be held accountable in the eyes of the law.

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