R. Kelly attended a Chicago courtroom Wednesday for opening statements in his criminal case where it was revealed that his 2008 child sex tapes will be played for the jury.
Prosecutors claim Kelly had two co-defendants that worked to conceal his alleged child sex exploits and were aware of the video recordings. They also insist that Kelly and his team paid off an allegedly underage sex victim that was referred to as “Jane” in exchange for her silence, according to TMZ. Kelly was acquitted during his state trial in 2008 and some of the jurors stated they felt they had no choice because “Jane” did not testify. That woman, now 37 years old, is said to be the government’s star witness in this upcoming trial, according to CTV News.
Jurors to be shown video of R . Kelly allegedly having sex with a minor: prosecutors https://t.co/AgQoiQ3SVJ pic.twitter.com/Y3yBsBAPEM
— New York Post (@nypost) August 17, 2022
Prosecutors believe Kelly rigged the 2008 trial and claim he has had sex with at least 4 minors, according to TMZ.
“The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with multiple children. He made videotapes of himself having sex with children,” prosecutors said, according to TMZ. There are four alleged tapes in discussion during this trial, three of which will be viewed by the jury. One of those tapes directly depicts “Jane,” according to TMZ.
“We’re not going to play hours of child pornography and make you watch it,” assistant attorney Jason Julien said. He went on to explain that excerpts would be shown in the courtroom. “The videos are difficult to watch. But it is important to watch … to understand what happened.”
Julien went on to state the alleged degree of Kelly’s exploitation. Julien claimed Kelly “repeatedly” engaged in sex with minors as young as 14, 15, and 16 years old and would beat them if they didn’t comply with his rules, which included calling him “daddy,” according to CTV News. RELATED: (REPORT: Disgraced Artist R. Kelly Will Become A Father Again While In Jail)
The teenager R. Kelly was accused of urinating on during his 2008 criminal trial is going to finally testify in his upcoming Chicago case. https://t.co/R962ToBXlY
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 14, 2022
Kelly’s team has pushed back against the prosecution and are attempting to paint a different picture of Kelly. “When the government wants to paint him as a monster, you remember we are talking about a human being,” defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean told jurors, according to CTV News.
She went on to advise jurors not to succumb to “a mob justice climate” when assessing Kelly.
“It is true that Mr. Kelly is imperfect,” Bonjean said in court, according to CTV News. “On his journey from poverty to stardom, he stumbled along the way.”
A conviction in this case could add decades to a 30-year prison sentence Kelly is already serving in New York.