14 years ago, a jury acquitted R. Kelly of creating child sexual abuse imagery despite a horrifying video that showed him sexually assaulting and urinating on a 14-year-old girl. made a verdict. Their “not guilty” verdict allowed the R&B artists to roam freely and continue to prey on dozens of girls and young women.
Less than a year after Kelly’s accident long-awaited conviction In a federal sex crimes case in New York, federal prosecutors in his hometown of Chicago finally held him accountable for allegedly recording that infamous tape after his state counterpart failed to do so. In a new trial that begins Monday, the victim, whose absence from the 2008 trial was alleged to have had a significant impact on the jury’s acquittal of Kelly, is working with prosecutors. She was expected to testify that she was the girl in the video, according to recent documents filed by the defense, and told the Cook County grand jury under pressure from Kelly to tell her truth. She wasn’t telling the truth when she.
The tape was parodied in a popular 2003 sketch on Dave Chappelle’s Comedy Central show. Bootlegs were sold on the streets of Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and other cities.Although Kelly has already – finally – faced 30 years in prison Amid decades of sexual abuse, his second federal trial helped tie his flagrant predatory behavior to his public image and how he has long been held accountable. It could be the computation of the video that helped reveal who was spared.
“The most important thing about this trial is to highlight the farce of justice that was the 2008 Cook County Attorney’s trial,” said Jim DeRogatis, a Chicago journalist. broke the story He told BuzzFeed News in a recent interview about the 2002 Chicago Sun-Times tape. one of the victims Who Testified about graphic abuse At the New York trial, she described how she first met Kelly outside of the 2008 Chicago trial in which she attended as a young fan.
“How many lives could have been saved from the trauma of his sexual abuse if he had not been acquitted?”
In the upcoming Chicago lawsuit, Kelly faces 13 count, including charges of creating and receiving child sexual abuse imagery and obstructing justice. He has been accused of recording on infamous tape a video sexually abusing a girl and her two other minors, seducing them and two more minor girls to accused of engaging in criminal sexual activity with Prosecutors also said he had planned with associates to collect illegal tapes, paid witnesses, and persuaded the girl and her parents who were at the center of the 2008 case to lie about the nature of his relationship with Kelly. He claims to have picked up
Unlike New York, Kelly will face trial with two accomplices who allegedly helped cover up Kelly’s wrongdoings during an investigation in the 2000s. Derell McDavid, who served as Kelly’s business manager from 1991 to 2014, is accused of conspiring to obstruct justice and receive and receive child sexual abuse images. Former Kelly’s employee Milton Brown is charged with conspiracy to receive child sexual abuse images. All three have pleaded not guilty and have been described the women who accused them of crimes as money-motivated liars.
Jury selection will begin Monday, followed by opening statements from attorneys.
of Chicago Indictment Kelly and McDavid allege they began paying acquaintances hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2001 to collect videos in which Kelly allegedly sexually abused girls. , when Kelly was tried and acquitted on state charges, the two and their associates held a press conference to announce that they had recovered a video of Kelly sexually abusing a minor. paid the person $170,000 to cancel the indictment.
Prosecutors also said in 2007 that Kelly and McDavid had someone about 25 years old to return a tape that showed Kelly having sex with a girl who was the focus of the 2008 case. Kelly and McDavid also allegedly paid $100,000 to a third party who tried to return tapes showing Kelly and minors. As a condition of payment, individuals had to undergo polygraph examinations to determine whether they had returned all copies of the tapes.
Officials did not release details of these charges. This suggests how Kelly and his associates allegedly pressured witnesses and victims. Hits in both Chicago and New York indictment.The indictments continued in 2017 Investigation By DeRogatis, published on BuzzFeed News and in a 2019 documentary series Survivors of R. KellyBut one of the women, Lisa Van Allen, had been telling her story publicly for years. At trial in 2008, she testified that McDavid paid her and another man $20,000 to return another tape showing that she and the girl had sex with Kelly in that case. Allen said at the time that Kelly offered her a total of $250,000. (Prosecutors did not comment on whether Van Allen was the woman described in the new charges.)
DeRogatis will never understand why it took so long for Kelly to face federal prosecutors, but it is clear that his reporting and documentary had an impact on the final stages of the case.
“That story in 2017, #MuteRKelly and lead to Survivors of R. Kellybut the power of watching one after another of those women in your living room…their power to tell their stories—the way they have been to me one-on-one over the years—they were undeniable.” “I think things changed then,” he said.
Despite changing public opinion, Kelly still has outspoken supporters who remain adamant that he has done nothing wrong. As of last week, he Collected over $28,000 in the Commissary Account.
At the end of a recent remote pretrial hearing, his fans unmuted phone lines to express their admiration for the R&B star.
“I love you, Robert Kelly,” said one. “You are my heart.”
“Stay strong, pray for you, pray for your freedom,” said another.
“Release R Kelly!”
It’s unclear what will happen in the new trial, but Kelly has been charged with making not one but four videos depicting child sexual abuse and allegedly abusing multiple victims. The fact that the federal government has a stronger lawsuit suggests that the state did 14 years ago. A list of potential witnesses has not been made public, but the government has discussed possible testimony from five alleged victims in court filings, alleging Kelly’s abuse at the 2008 trial. This suggests that the mother of the girl in question may also testify.
In 2008, jurors were not contacted by the girl, nor were they informed of Kelly’s history with other young women. Despite actively identifying i wasn’t sure that it was her
“If 2008 was one girl on one tape, hear now the evidence that Kelly had a proclivity for sexually abusing minors and recording those assaults. They are there and you will see them. multiplesaid DeRogatis. “I think jurors would be annoyed by that.”
Last year, a jury in New York convicted Kelly on all counts, but there’s no guarantee the next jury in Chicago will do the same. , said there is now speculation that women are believed.
“I don’t think things have fundamentally changed,” DeRogatis said. “Certainly no woman has ever bravely testified or trusted me with her story … I think things have changed. They say no one believes them — especially black women. is not believed.
The alleged victims in the 2008 trial rarely get a second chance. Governments are generally not permitted to indict a person twice for the same crime under what is known as the “double jeopardy” clause of the Fifth Amendment. However, because the indictment in this case is federal rather than state, they are considered different crimes. exception to the rule.
Former U.S. Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago Stephen Bullock says the Justice Department has strict guidelines when choosing to indict someone for a federal crime after they’ve already been acquitted of equivalent state crimes. Given the allegations of obstruction in the 2008 case and the changing circumstances of the alleged victims, prosecutors may have shown a compelling interest in filing federal charges. is high, Block said.
“State lawsuits are perceived to be unfair,” he said. “[It] I think there’s pretty uniform agreement that it was a highly publicized and highly sensational trial in Chicago and justice was not served in that case. ”
Still, DeRogatis questioned the value of moving forward with another trial in Chicago following his conviction in New York. high.
Pointing to the system, from Kelly’s record label to her Chicago schools, that allowed her to use her fame to prey on girls and young people, DeRogatis said, “the case remains an open question. Even if there is, it really shouldn’t be binding.” A woman for years after evidence of apparent abuse became public. “I think it just creates a lot of trauma for everyone involved.”
But legal experts say there is still value in moving forward with this second trial. Kelly, who has denied any wrongdoing, Intention to appeal His conviction from New York. If he succeeds, a second conviction in Chicago could give the government a “safety net” to ensure he remains in prison, former federal prosecutor Shan Wu said. rice field.
Wu said it was also important to show that the postponement of trial was not a denial of trial, even if Kelly had been convicted on other charges.
“Ideally, any crime for which there is evidence would be fully prosecuted,” he said.