Now, in an article titled Chicago’s vast camera network helped solve Jussie Smollett case, local TV station WGN provides more details about how police pieced the story together:
Police tapped into Chicago’s vast network of surveillance cameras — and even some homeowners’ doorbell cameras — to track down two brothers who later claimed they were paid by “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to stage an attack on him, the latest example of the city’s high-tech approach to public safety.
Officers said they reviewed video from more than four dozen cameras to trace the brothers’ movements before and after the reported attack, determining where they lived and who they were before arresting them a little more than two weeks later.
Smollett reported being beaten up by two men who shouted racist and anti-gay slurs and threw bleach on him. But his story fell apart when Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — bodybuilders and aspiring actors whom Smollett knew from the “Empire” set and the gym — told police that Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career.
... Police Commander Edward Wodnicki, who heads the detective division that led the investigation, credited the camera network but also residents who shared information from their own cameras for helping to solve the case.
“That was super useful in this investigation,” he said of residents’ cooperation. “The city came together to investigate and help the police with this crime.”
The search went beyond surveillance cameras to include other electronic records. Detectives also reviewed in-car taxi videos, telephone logs, ride-share records and credit card records, according to a summary of the case released by prosecutors.
At first, police were puzzled when they could not find footage of the attack, which Smollett said occurred around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29 while he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop.
Chicago has the most extensive video surveillance network in the U.S., with access to more than 32,000 cameras mounted on buildings, poles, train tunnels and buses — and even in businesses and private residences whose owners agree to opt into the system full-time. What’s more, authorities can track someone by linking those cameras at a sophisticated emergency command center, police stations or even from tablets in officers’ squad cars. (Read the story here.)
The most extensive video surveillance network in the country? A high-tech approach to public safety? A sophisticated emergency command center? Wow, who knew? Truthfully, I didn't, and apparently Jussie Smollett didn't either.
What did Jussie think was going to happen after he reported the attack? Did he assume that between the ski masks, the Osundairo brothers' immediate departure for Nigeria and the fact that he claimed his attackers were white, that would be the end of it? The attackers would never be found? The police would just shrug and call it an unsolved crime, unable to find the supposedly white attackers? Clearly he was unaware of the technology available to the CPD, as well as their willingness to devote an enormous amount of resources to solving the crime. Did he even consider the possibility that the brothers would be found? (If he expected them to take the rap for him, he probably should have paid them a lot more than $3,500.) Presumably he also didn't know, if he ever gave it any thought, that in Illinois providing a false police report is not just a lapse in judgement or a dumb stunt, it's a felony. A real crime with real consequences.
One of the ironies of the case is that the police believe Smollett was disappointed that the actual attack wasn't recorded by surveillance cameras, presumably because he expected that video would support his story and generate sympathy. Did he never consider that other surveillance cameras would provide evidence that could be used to discover the truth?
There's more irony in his lawyers' statement last night that Jussie feels "betrayed" by the system. I would say the system did exactly what it was supposed to do. Jussie reported a crime and the police investigated it. They investigated the hell out of it. He just doesn't like what they found.
And one more thing:
BREAKING: Jussie Smollett’s character, Jamal, on #empire written out of the final two episodes. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/27EDgm9unn— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) February 22, 2019
Why? TMZ says that several cast members went to producers and said that they wanted him gone:
Fox dropped the bombshell on Jussie Smollett this morning ... https://t.co/aLom6mC0Rd pic.twitter.com/5fMfXMCEZI— TMZ (@TMZ) February 22, 2019
This tracks with a CNN report that some cast and crew members were not happy to see Smollett when he returned to the set last night:
The person at the meeting said they were shocked and dismayed that Smollett stuck to his story of innocence. For the most part, the source said, Smollett paraphrased what was in the statement that his attorney put out that afternoon, blaming the legal system and the media for his woes. (Read more here.)
There will be more to come on this story, in particular because we haven't heard from the FBI concerning the letter. Stay tuned.
Saturday afternoon update. I'm fascinated by the way this investigation played out and the Wall Street Journal has a story with a few more details:
As the Chicago Police Department’s investigation into an alleged attack on “Empire” star Jussie Smollett stretched from one week to three, detectives’ biggest piece of evidence—a grainy video showing two figures silhouetted by streetlights on a city sidewalk—seemed like a slim lead.
But behind the scenes, authorities were methodically reviewing hundreds of hours of footage from security and police cameras in the area, tracking the men’s movements during the early morning hours of Jan. 29.
They would turn out to be two brothers of Nigerian descent known by Smollett and with ties to “Empire.” Prosecutors say Mr. Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage a racist and homophobic attack on the actor.
In court on Thursday Mr. Smollett’s attorneys denied those allegations.
The men in the video, police would soon see from the footage, hopped into a cab headed north. That would prove to be a big break in the case.
“Cabs in the city of Chicago have cameras,” said Edward Wodnicki, commander of area central detectives for the CPD. “It’s a huge advantage for us when we’re investigating crimes. So when we saw these guys get into a cab, we were like, ‘Yes!’”
Investigators said they located the cab and reviewed the vehicle’s video. Then they talked to the driver, who said his passengers had behaved a bit oddly, telling him to go north, then ordering him to stop abruptly in a neighborhood not far from Wrigley Field. They paid for the ride with $20 cash, and continued north on foot.
From there, the video trail petered out and a canvass of the area led nowhere, Cmdr. Wodnicki said. Detectives decided to backtrack, returning to video cameras in the area of Smollett’s alleged attack and following those feeds backward in time.
Again, they hit pay dirt. Footage from around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 29 showed the men exiting a ride-share vehicle some blocks from where Mr. Smollett would report the attack occurred, then flagging down a cab to travel to within three blocks of the arranged scene, according to prosecutors.
“The ride-share was instrumental in helping us identify who these guys were,” Cmdr. Wodnicki said, because once investigators subpoenaed records, they had a name. “They used one of the guy’s personal accounts.”
A special group of investigators scoured social media and quickly made a surprise discovery.
“In about one second, they find this dude, he’s an actor on ‘Empire,’ so now it starts spinning,” Cmdr. Wodnicki recalled, referring to one of the two brothers who had been an extra on the series. He said his stomach dropped as he thought, “Oh, no! Please don’t tell me this is made up and we’re putting all this investigation into a lie.”
But then investigators hit a snag. Records subpoenaed from the ride-share company told them that the men had recently taken a ride to the airport, and investigators soon learned they had left the country for Nigeria on round-trip tickets. They wouldn’t be back until Feb. 13.
As detectives waited for the men’s return, they ran down tips and other leads, but little panned out.
When the pair finally flew back to Chicago, investigators had coordinated with customs officials to pull the men into a room for a secondary screening. When that screening was done, detectives were outside.
The men, identified as 25-year-old Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and his brother Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, 27, were taken into custody, and they immediately called for a lawyer.
Now the clock was ticking. Investigators could only hold the men 48 hours—47 went by.
Then the pair’s lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, sought out investigators, saying what she was hearing from her clients indicated the attack was a hoax arranged by Mr. Smollett.
“You guys, I’m telling you, it doesn’t pass the smell test,” she said, according to Cmdr. Wodnicki. He agreed, but told Ms. Schmidt that without evidence, he’d likely have to charge the brothers.
“I said, ‘Gloria, it’s not passing my smell test either, but I don’t have anything more. What I’ve got right now is the two guys we’ve identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim has identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim wants to sign complaints on as the offenders who beat him up in a hate crime,’” he recalled. “My hands are tied.”
It wasn’t long after Ms. Schmidt returned to her clients with that information that the brothers decided to speak to investigators, telling them that Mr. Smollett had conceived the alleged attack as a publicity stunt designed to get the actor better pay.
Mr. Smollett, through his lawyers, has disputed this account.
When prosecutors finally spoke with the brothers, Cmdr. Woknicki said, “They tell us where they bought the rope, how they bought it.”
He added: “They couldn’t remember the name of the beauty supply store where they bought the gloves and the hats, but we just went to every beauty supply store around, and we found it.”
Saturday afternoon update. I'm fascinated by the way this investigation played out and the Wall Street Journal has a story with a few more details:
As the Chicago Police Department’s investigation into an alleged attack on “Empire” star Jussie Smollett stretched from one week to three, detectives’ biggest piece of evidence—a grainy video showing two figures silhouetted by streetlights on a city sidewalk—seemed like a slim lead.
But behind the scenes, authorities were methodically reviewing hundreds of hours of footage from security and police cameras in the area, tracking the men’s movements during the early morning hours of Jan. 29.
They would turn out to be two brothers of Nigerian descent known by Smollett and with ties to “Empire.” Prosecutors say Mr. Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage a racist and homophobic attack on the actor.
In court on Thursday Mr. Smollett’s attorneys denied those allegations.
The men in the video, police would soon see from the footage, hopped into a cab headed north. That would prove to be a big break in the case.
“Cabs in the city of Chicago have cameras,” said Edward Wodnicki, commander of area central detectives for the CPD. “It’s a huge advantage for us when we’re investigating crimes. So when we saw these guys get into a cab, we were like, ‘Yes!’”
Investigators said they located the cab and reviewed the vehicle’s video. Then they talked to the driver, who said his passengers had behaved a bit oddly, telling him to go north, then ordering him to stop abruptly in a neighborhood not far from Wrigley Field. They paid for the ride with $20 cash, and continued north on foot.
From there, the video trail petered out and a canvass of the area led nowhere, Cmdr. Wodnicki said. Detectives decided to backtrack, returning to video cameras in the area of Smollett’s alleged attack and following those feeds backward in time.
Again, they hit pay dirt. Footage from around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 29 showed the men exiting a ride-share vehicle some blocks from where Mr. Smollett would report the attack occurred, then flagging down a cab to travel to within three blocks of the arranged scene, according to prosecutors.
“The ride-share was instrumental in helping us identify who these guys were,” Cmdr. Wodnicki said, because once investigators subpoenaed records, they had a name. “They used one of the guy’s personal accounts.”
A special group of investigators scoured social media and quickly made a surprise discovery.
“In about one second, they find this dude, he’s an actor on ‘Empire,’ so now it starts spinning,” Cmdr. Wodnicki recalled, referring to one of the two brothers who had been an extra on the series. He said his stomach dropped as he thought, “Oh, no! Please don’t tell me this is made up and we’re putting all this investigation into a lie.”
But then investigators hit a snag. Records subpoenaed from the ride-share company told them that the men had recently taken a ride to the airport, and investigators soon learned they had left the country for Nigeria on round-trip tickets. They wouldn’t be back until Feb. 13.
As detectives waited for the men’s return, they ran down tips and other leads, but little panned out.
When the pair finally flew back to Chicago, investigators had coordinated with customs officials to pull the men into a room for a secondary screening. When that screening was done, detectives were outside.
The men, identified as 25-year-old Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and his brother Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, 27, were taken into custody, and they immediately called for a lawyer.
Now the clock was ticking. Investigators could only hold the men 48 hours—47 went by.
Then the pair’s lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, sought out investigators, saying what she was hearing from her clients indicated the attack was a hoax arranged by Mr. Smollett.
“You guys, I’m telling you, it doesn’t pass the smell test,” she said, according to Cmdr. Wodnicki. He agreed, but told Ms. Schmidt that without evidence, he’d likely have to charge the brothers.
“I said, ‘Gloria, it’s not passing my smell test either, but I don’t have anything more. What I’ve got right now is the two guys we’ve identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim has identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim wants to sign complaints on as the offenders who beat him up in a hate crime,’” he recalled. “My hands are tied.”
It wasn’t long after Ms. Schmidt returned to her clients with that information that the brothers decided to speak to investigators, telling them that Mr. Smollett had conceived the alleged attack as a publicity stunt designed to get the actor better pay.
Mr. Smollett, through his lawyers, has disputed this account.
When prosecutors finally spoke with the brothers, Cmdr. Woknicki said, “They tell us where they bought the rope, how they bought it.”
He added: “They couldn’t remember the name of the beauty supply store where they bought the gloves and the hats, but we just went to every beauty supply store around, and we found it.”
The most chilling part for me is in the fifth paragraph from the bottom: "...the two guys the victim has identified as the offenders, the two guys the victim wants to sign complaints on as the offenders who beat him up in a hate crime." Really? Really? Would Jussie Smollett really have signed complaints against the Osundairo brothers? Did he really expect them to stay silent and take the rap for him?
Update #2, on Sunday afternoon. The Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Eddie Johnson, is scheduled to speak to Good Morning, America tomorrow. When will the Osundairo brothers give their first interview?
Update #3, on Monday morning. Supt. Johnson says on GMA that not all the evidence against Jussie Smollett has been made public:
'I can tell you this, there's a lot more evidence that has not been presented yet that does not support his version of the incident.
'There is still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence and testimony that simply does not support his version.
'It's not the Chicago PD saying he did something. It's the evidence, the facts and the witnesses saying this,' he added. (From an article at the Daily Mail, read it here.)
Update #2, on Sunday afternoon. The Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, Eddie Johnson, is scheduled to speak to Good Morning, America tomorrow. When will the Osundairo brothers give their first interview?
Update #3, on Monday morning. Supt. Johnson says on GMA that not all the evidence against Jussie Smollett has been made public:
'I can tell you this, there's a lot more evidence that has not been presented yet that does not support his version of the incident.
'There is still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence and testimony that simply does not support his version.
'It's not the Chicago PD saying he did something. It's the evidence, the facts and the witnesses saying this,' he added. (From an article at the Daily Mail, read it here.)
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