Jussie Smollett trial's only Black juror found case 'sad,' still wonders about motive

CHICAGO -- Andre Hope, the only Black juror on the panel that convicted Jussie Smollett of lying to Chicago police, said he took no pleasure in finding former "Empire" actor guilty of lying to police and staging a hoax racist, homophobic attack on himself.

He called the entire case "sad" and said while the evidence against the actor was overwhelming, he's still left with one unanswered question.

"I still have not figured out a motive for why he did, why this had to even happen," Hope told our sister station WLS. "He was a star."

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Hope said he'd never seen "Empire" or knew much about Smollett, or his case, before ending up on the jury two weeks ago.

"I was shocked. I was completely shocked that I was even picked," he said. "At that point, I took it very seriously."

The 63-year-old, who lives in Bellwood, is a retired Cook County Forest Preserves employee. He's married with two sons who are around Smollett's age.

He said the actor's claim that the Osundairo brothers attacked him for real simply made no sense.

"Two o'clock in the morning. Cold outside. When you just use your common sense as what's there, yeah it just, it didn't add up," said Hope.

He also said the noose, used in the staged attack, was a critical piece of evidence. At trial, Smollett testified that after the attack in downtown Chicago in January 2019, he returned home and put the rope back around his neck so police who came to his apartment soon after could see it.

"As an African American person, I'm not putting that noose back on at all," Hope said.

Hope said the jury never argued, was never deadlocked, and simply took its time to be thorough during nine and a half hours of deliberation. He praised his fellow jurors but said he was disappointed to be the lone African American on the panel.

"Because how can we say that this is a jury of your peers when there's only one African American?" he said. "And there were plenty there, so you could've gotten two, three four. African Americans can handle the truth, too. And we can give an impartial judgment on a case."

Hope said he thinks Smollett has lost enough and doesn't deserve prison time. He also said he hopes Smollett gets a second chance in Hollywood.

Smollett faces up to three years in prison when he returns to court next year for sentencing. But experts have said it is far more likely that he will be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.