Empire star, Jamal Lyon whose real name is Jussie Smollett is revealed to have paid two men to carry out an assault on him which he reported late January.
Reports also has it that Jussie directed the men to buy items which was used in carrying out the alleged assault and he also rehearsed it with them.
The men who are brothers and were initially arrested and discharged quickly after ‘new evidence’ was discovered have also been cooperating with the police in uncovering updates revealed that Jussie paid some cash to get the assault done.
According to the ,Chicago police spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi:
“We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation. We’ve reached out to the Empire cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”
Reports have it that the men received payments of $3,500 before leaving for Nigeria. They also were promised an additional $500 when they return.
The Nigerian men were then reported to have left for Nigeria later in the day on Jan. 29, after the alleged attack.
Well, the police raided the men’s home after returning from Nigeria.
While sources say that there are no evidence that the men purchased the rope used in the alleged attack, it was disclosed that one of the brothers reportedly held the rope and poured bleach while the other wore a plain red hat and yelling homophobic slurs at Jussie Smollett.
Here is more information on the reported attack on Jussie:
The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29. The brothers who are now cooperating with police, stated that the all three of them rehearsed the attack days prior to it happening. Smollett told authorities he was attacked early January 29 by two men who were “yelling out racial and homophobic slurs.” He said one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him. Smollett denies playing a role in his attack, according to his attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, who issued a statement to Saturday night saying Smollett was angry about these latest developments. “As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with,” the statement read. “He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.” it added Smollett’s attorneys said they expect further updates from Chicago police on the investigation and will continue cooperating with authorities.”At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no inclination to respond to ‘unnamed’ sources inside of the investigation, but will continue discussions through official channels,” the statement read. Smollett identifies as gay and since 2015 has played the gay character of Jamal on the Fox TV drama “Empire.”
