Rapper R. Kelly’s retrial is about the singer’s hidden side

A new federal trial against the American rapper began this week in Chicago, Illinois R. Kellywho faces 13 charges related to alleged illegal sexual activities with minors and, in addition, is accused of “obstruction of justice”, reported USA Today.

Assistant US Attorney Jason Julien he said during the opening remarks that “much of the world knew Kelly from her hit song I believe I Can Fly. That was Kelly’s public side, “she said, adding that” Kelly had another side … a hidden side, a dark side. “This process is about Kelly’s hidden side,” Julien said.

Kelly is accused by the federal court in her hometown of Chicago of inducing minors to have sex, produce child pornography and rigging his 2008 pornographic trial in which he was ultimately acquitted.

Julien tried to give the jury an idea of ​​the extent of Kelly’s alleged exploitation, saying he “repeatedly” had sexual intercourse with girls aged 14, 15 and 16“more girls, hundreds of times”.

Both the prosecution and Kelly’s law firm told the judge earlier this week that they would take an hour to inform the jury about the kind of evidence they can expect. The probative phase of the federal trial is expected to last about a month. The parade of witnesses is expected to begin on Wednesday, August 17, but prosecutors have not said who they will call first.

Kelly is African American. About half of the 12 jurors were identified as black by the judge, the prosecutor and the defense attorneys.

Some of the selected jurors have seen at least part of a six-part documentary series, Survived R. Kellyon alleged sexual abuse allegations against el Grammy Award-winning singer. Seeing it didn’t automatically disqualify them, as long as they could assure US District Judge Harry Leinenweber “that they could still be fair.”

A focus of the trial will be whether Kelly threatened and beat up a girl he allegedly had sex with when he was 30 and she was no older than 14. This is the charge behind another of the charges against Kelly: illegal conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Jurors in the 2008 child pornography trial Kelly acquitted, with some later explaining that they felt they had no choice because the girl did not testify. The woman, now in her thirties and indicated in the court documents as “Minor 1”, he will be the main witness of the government. Prosecutors have said they will refer to her as “Jane” in court.

Previous sentence

Kelly, 55, has already been sentenced by a New York federal judge to 30 years in prison for a 2021 sentence of “using his fame to sexually abuse other young fans.”

Kelly, who emerged from poverty in southern Chicago to become a leading rap singer, songwriter and producer, will be around 80 years old before qualifying for paroleaccording to the sentence handed down in New York which is being appealed at the moment.

It is expected that the Minor 1 witness. Also, there is supposed to be a video of her having sex with Kelly in 2008. Prosecutors claim Kelly threatened and tried to pay the Minor 1 and his parents not to testify in 2008. Neither did.

Source Agency AP

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