R kelly trial

Chicago — R. Kelly appeared in court Monday for the first day of his second trial in Chicago in 14 years. It began with jury selection in his federal trial where he faces child pornography and obstruction of justice charges. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber questioned nearly 60 potential jurors over six hours at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, with a focus on how much they knew about the disgraced R&B singer. The 55-year-old singer was already convicted on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in New York federal court; he was sentenced to 30 years in June and is appealing. A conviction in Chicago could add decades to his imprisonment, essentially equating to a life sentence. Kelly — bespectacled, dressed in a grey suit, and moving with what appeared to be a slight limp —  appeared alongside his three-person legal team led by celebrity lawyer Jennifer Bonjean, whose controversial clients include Bill Cosby. The pair often consulted, leaning toward each other to … [Read more...] about R. Kelly’s Federal Trial in Chicago Launches With Jury Selection

A federal prosecutor made an initial attempt at shedding light on R. Kelly ’s “dark side” during opening statements for the disgraced artist’s federal sex crimes and child pornography trial in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 17. According to the Chicago Tribune , Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien told jurors that the superstar singer “had another side, a hidden side, a dark side, that he … did not allow the world to see.” Julien also accused Kelly’s co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown of knowing about Kelly’s alleged actions, and helping him keep that “dark side” private. Julien went on to preview the case prosecutors will try to build against Kelly throughout the trial. He claimed the singer “had sex with multiple children” and that he “made videotapes of himself having sex with children,” including his own goddaughter, identified as “Jane.” Jurors will reportedly see parts of three videos that allegedly show Kelly and Jane, and in two of them, Kelly allegedly … [Read more...] about R. Kelly’s ‘Dark Side’ Highlighted by Prosecutors as Sex Crimes, Child Pornography Trial Begins

Getty R. Kelly was once prosecuted for allegedly abusing a minor -- an infamous case from 2008 in which she never testified ... but that's all about to change now as he heads to trial anew. The disgraced singer, who's already been convicted of sex crimes in New York and faces 30 years behind bars, has another day in court ahead of him. Come Monday, his federal trial in Chicago -- for which he's facing similar charges and sentencing -- is going to begin. Getty On top of the 4 accusers in this Chicago case -- all of whom will testify -- the woman who Kelly was accused of urinating on on tape at just age 14, among other heinous crimes, is set to take the stand as well ... to speak on the '08 case and her experience with him in general. Per new court filings, cited by AP , prosecutors say the unidentified alleged victim from back then -- now in her 30s -- will address claims that R. Kelly rigged the 2008 case in an attempt to obstruct … [Read more...] about R. Kelly’s Alleged Victim from 2008 Set to Testify in New Trial

TMZ.com R. Kelly wants anyone who has seen the 'Surviving R. Kelly' docuseries to be banned as a potential juror in his trial ... saying there's no way they can give him a fair shot. R. Kelly and his team filed a motion Monday to disqualify jurors who have seen any portion of the docuseries, as his 2nd federal trial begins in Chicago. According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... "any potential juror who has watched any portion of this docuseries must be disqualified for cause on whether they can be fair, too great a risk exists that such a juror would base their verdict on matters not introduced into evidence in the courtroom". Kelly's facing charges of child porn and obstruction of justice ... and his alleged victim from his infamous 2008 case is expected to testify. Getty R. Kelly's Alleged Victim from 2008 Set to Testify in New Trial The docs state, "Any potential juror who has seen any portion of Surviving R. Kelly is prejudiced … [Read more...] about R. Kelly Wants To Ban Jurors Who’ve Seen ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ From Trial

Getty R. Kelly 's child pornography case from 2008 was front and center during opening statements in his new Chicago criminal trial ... something his attorney claims is a witch hunt. Prosecutors kicked things off Wednesday in front of a jury, saying ... "The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with multiple children. He made videotapes of himself having sex with children," while also pointing at 2 co-defendants, ex-associates of Kelly's, whom they claim knew about it while it was going on and allegedly helped keep things quiet. Getty The woman at the center of the '08 case -- who was alleged to have been videotaped in sexual encounters with Kelly, at the age of 14 -- was mentioned too. She was referred to by prosecutors as "Jane" ... and they say she's going to testify in this case about what happened with RK. Getty R. Kelly's Alleged Victim from 2008 Set to Testify in New Trial According to prosecutors, Kelly went to … [Read more...] about Opening Statements in R. Kelly Chicago Case Include Allegations of Sex with Kids

Getty R. Kelly 's former goddaughter says the singer had sex with her hundreds of times before she turned 18 years old ... testifying she was only 15 when they first had sexual intercourse. The disgraced singer's alleged victim took the stand Thursday in Kelly's federal trial in Chicago, telling the jury she had sex with Kelly over and over as a minor because she was too intimidated to say no. The woman, who is now 37, says she asked Kelly to be her godfather back in the late 1990s when she was only 13 ... and she testified things between them quickly turned sexual. Getty Opening Statements in R. Kelly Chicago Case Include Allegations of Sex with Kids Kelly's alleged victim told the jury he first touched her breasts when she was about 14, doing so inside a Chicago recording studio ... and claims things escalated to intercourse when she was 15 and he was about twice her age. The woman, known only by the pseudonym Jane, testified she had sex … [Read more...] about R. Kelly Alleged Victim Testifies He Started Having Sex With Her When She Was 15