R. Kelly hid the ugly side of his life by escaping poverty and becoming a pop star in Chicago, a prosecutor told jurors at the singer’s trial, accusing him of seducing girls for sex and manipulating a 2008 child pornography case.
In her opening statement at the Chicago federal trial, Kelly’s lead attorney pleaded with the jury to disagree with what she said was the prosecution’s portrayal of her client as a “monster.”
Back in the 1990s, many people in the world only knew Kelly through his hits, including the inspirational No. 1 anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien said.
Kelly, 55, faces several charges including soliciting a minor for sex, making child pornography and manipulating a child pornography lawsuit in which he was acquitted in 2008.
Kelly, who denies any wrongdoing, has been plagued by complaints and allegations about his sexual orientation for decades.
Verification has intensified in the #MeToo era, and since the 2019 six-part documentary Surviving R Kelly, allegations of sexual assault involving women and teenage girls have been detailed.
Defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean told jurors that Kelly, due in part to intellectual problems including illiteracy, was forced to rely on others as his career took off and that he was sometimes caught with colleagues.
Chicago’s conviction could add decades to the 30-year sentence he already received from a federal judge in New York for using his notoriety to sexually abuse other young fans.
Kelly sat at the defense table as the prosecutors spoke, shaking her head from time to time as Mr. Julian described how Kelly manipulated and controlled the girls, and even beat them if they didn’t follow strict rules, including calling him “dad.”
Mr. Julian tried to give jurors an idea of the extent of the exploitation that Kelly was accused of, saying he had sex with girls aged 14, 15 and 16 “several times”, “several girls, hundreds of times”.
He told jurors that the evidence included at least three videos of Kelly having sex with underage girls.
“We are not going to spend hours showing child porn and forcing you to watch it,” prosecutors said, explaining that they would be shown excerpts.
When his lawyer told the jury that Kelly was not seeking special treatment, only a fair trial, Kelly nodded in agreement.
“When the government wanted to portray him as a monster… you remember we were talking about a man,” Ms Bonjean said.
She said jurors should not succumb to what she called the “mob justice climate” surrounding Kelly, referring to survivor R. Kelly and the harsh social media coverage of him over the years.
After a jury acquitted Kelly in a 2008 state trial, some later explained that they had no choice because the girl did not provide evidence.
The woman, now in her 30s, is listed in court documents as a 1 minor and will be a star witness for the government.
This charge is in support of the charge against Kelly of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
McDavid is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 lawsuit, and Brown is accused of accepting child pornography.
A jury was formed Tuesday night, and by the end of the trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys were arguing about whether the government had illegally attempted to try and keep some blacks from jurors.
About half of the 12 jurors appointed were found by judges, prosecutors, and lawyers to be black.
Post time: Aug-29-2022