Lawyers for Jussie Smollett have demanded the disgraced actor’s release from jail, saying he faces “dangerous threats,” including a phone call alluding to the infamous New Yorker rape case.
According to Rolling Stone, Smollett’s legal team said in a new document arguing for his release that the actor had received “violent threats” on social media.
His lawyers argued that the hate on social media “no doubt reflects the hatred and desire for physical harm towards Smollett that he may experience while incarcerated.”
One of Smollett’s siblings also received a wake-up call Friday on a number that was provided as an emergency contact for a hate scammer, a rep for the actor told the magazine.
“I hope what they do to that guy in jail is what they are going to do, right. They’ll take a broom handle and they’ll take this little [expletive]shove it in there and it’ll go,'[shrieking sound]the man is heard speaking in the video of the call shared by the actor’s team.
Jussie Smollett’s legal team said in a new document arguing for his release that the actor had received “violent threats” on social media. GN Miller
According to the actor’s rep, one of Smollett’s siblings also received a threatening call. Brian Cassell/Poole/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The chilling threat appeared to refer to the 1997 case of Abner Louima, who was brutally assaulted by an NYPD cop who used a broom to rape a Haitian immigrant who had his rectum and bladder perforated.
Justin Wolpe, a disgraced former cop, was sentenced to over 21 years in prison in 1999 for a shocking assault at the 70th Precinct police station in Brooklyn.
Smollett, 39, was found guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct after an eight-day trial related to staging a hate crime in 2019.
The social media hate “no doubt reflects the hatred and desire for physical harm towards Smollett that he may experience while incarcerated,” lawyers for Jussie Smollett said. Anthony Vasquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP
One of the siblings, Jussie Smollett, received a wake-up call, hoping the actor had been sexually assaulted in prison. Spencer Green/AP
He was sentenced to five months in a Chicago jail, where he is being held in a mental hospital due to what his brother Jocky Smollett said was a paperwork mess.
His lawyers added that being in “precautionary detention” is akin to “solitary confinement”, which could result in “extreme damage to his mental health”.
They also said their client has a “compromised immune system” so his “potential exposure” to COVID-19 behind bars also poses a “serious health risk,” according to Rolling Stone.
Jussie Smollett is being held in detention, which is often used for inmates with mental health issues, but the actor has said he is not suicidal. Brian Cassella/Pool via REUTERS
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday that Smollett is being held in a facility often used for inmates with mental health issues, adding that “it would be inaccurate and irresponsible to make any assumptions about his mental or medical condition based on where he is.” currently located.” according to the Chicago Tribune.
According to newspaper officials, Smollett did not commit suicide.
Last week, Smollett ranted that he was not suicidal after being sentenced to jail.