Illinois authorities released 70 hours of video in connection with the Jussie Smollett case, including footage reportedly showing two brothers implicated in the crime, taking a cab to where the January 29 attack occurred.
The Chicago Police Police Department released additional video and documents related to the case on Monday night. The release of the previously-private information comes after a Cook County judge recently appointed a special prosecutor to review the investigation.
The judge appointed the special prosecutor following outrage at Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s Office for dropping disorderly conduct charges against Smollett with little explanation, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who knew Smollett, were arrested in connection with the attack on February 13. However, police zeroed in on Smollett after the men allegedly claimed the “Empire” actor paid them to stage an apparent hate crime attack.
Dashcam footage released this week showed a cab driving the brothers to the location at 1:22 a.m., roughly 40 minutes before the incident occurred. The pair’s faces were heavily obscured by white hoodies. One of them appeared to have on a ski mask, which was referred to in police reports detailing the attack.
At the end of the ride, one of the brothers paid the cab driver the $9.25 fare and told him to keep the change.
As news of the hate crime spread, Abimbola allegedly texted Smollett to express well wishes.
“Bruh say it ain’t true,” he wrote to Smollett on the day of the attack, according to Page Six. “I’m praying for [a] speedy recovery. S**t is wild.”
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[Featured image: Chicago Police Department]
