A juror from the Jussie Smollett trial has spoken out about why they chose to convict him.
Speaking to The Chicago Sun-Times, she said the jury felt they were doing the actor a favor by finding him guilty on only five of the six counts of felony disorderly conduct he was facing.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she told the outlet. “You’ve got the mother sitting there. You feel bad. We didn’t know what the penalty would be. Are we sending this guy to jail?”
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Jussie was accused of paying two men to beat him, tie a noose around his neck and pour bleach on him. He allegedly paid them $3,500.
Some believed the actor was innocent.
“It was not evenly split, but there were some doubters,” the juror said. “I just hope that [Smollett and his legal team] know that we went in there with an open mind,” she said. “I listened to both sides. We wanted to make sure that those who had doubts didn’t feel pressured.”