In the 90s, R. Kelly became a pop superstar – but the first reports of sexual abuse by the musician made the rounds even then. Now the trial against him has started in New York.
The trial of the former pop superstar R. Kelly (54) began on Monday in New York with the first questioning of potential jurors.
In the coming days, twelve jurors and six substitute jurors are to be found at the court in Brooklyn, New York, before the opening speeches are supposed to really start on August 18. Kelly, who is accused of sexual abuse, among other things, appeared in a dark blue suit, light blue shirt and tie.
Judge Ann Donnelly advised the potential jury that the accused would be considered innocent before a possible conviction and that they should approach the trial with an open mind. Dozens of potential jurors were then interviewed, some of them behind closed doors. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, only people directly involved in the process were allowed into the courtroom, observers and journalists were only able to follow what was happening via video stream.
According to the indictment, Kelly has to answer for extortion and sexual exploitation of minors, among other things. Together with a team of employees, he is said to have forced girls and women to have sex for years. The musician, who has been in prison since his arrest in summer 2019, has repeatedly denied all allegations and accused his critics of a character assassination campaign.
Because of the pandemic, the start of the process, which was actually planned for May 2020, had been postponed several times. The 54-year-old tried repeatedly to use the pandemic as an opportunity to be released from prison early on bail, but these applications were repeatedly denied.
The process should take several weeks. If convicted, the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer could face decades of imprisonment – and there are similar indictments against him in Chicago and Minnesota.
The first allegations against Robert Sylvester Kelly, who was born in Chicago in 1967, were known about 25 years ago. But the music colossus seemed unassailable on its pop throne – with more than 50 million albums sold, several Grammys and other awards, he was one of the most successful musicians of the late 20th century.
At the latest in the course of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, the sensational documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” summarized the allegations in 2019, the singer became more and more lonely. Stars distanced themselves from him, as did radio stations, streaming services and then his music label RCA, which belongs to Sony Music. In the summer of 2019, R. Kelly was finally arrested in Chicago while he was walking his dog “Believe”.
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