Detective: No rush to judgment in Jussie Smollett case

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The lead investigator of an alleged attack on Jussie Smollett is countering a defense attorney’s claims that Chicago police rushed to judgment in the case. Former detective Michael Thiel is testifying Tuesday. He says roughly two dozen detectives clocked some 3,000 hours before concluding the ex-“Empire” actor staged a hoax attack. Thiel says investigators spent days after Smollett’s January 2019 report following up on leads, collecting videos from surveillance cameras, door bell videos and videos from businesses in the area, as well as poring over phone records and canvassing the area in sub-zero temperatures. Defense attorney Nenye Uche said Monday that Smollett is a “real victim.”