Article Author:
Associated Press
Michael Term and Don Babwin
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury said Tuesday in R. Kelly's hometown of Chicago that R{85 prosecutors and defense counsel Towards the end of the process, it was debated whether the government was unfairly trying to keep some black people out of the jury. He is accused of creating pornography and amending a state child pornography trial he was acquitted of in 2008.
When both sides began to make forceful objections - which could cut a certain number of potential jurors from the pool - Jennifer Bonjeen, Kelly's attorney, said, "Mr. "Trying to attack a black man to deny him being on a jury," the prosecutor said. fellow.
Prosecutors noted that several African Americans had already joined the jury before the defense objected, and they In one case, one elderly man appeared to be struggling to stay awake.
Judge Harry Leinenweber, in partial concurrence with the defense, refused to allow the prosecutor to exclude the three blacks from the jury and returned them. About half of his 12 jurors who were impeached were identified as black by judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Six alternates were also selected.
Some of the jurors selected reviewed the final part of her six-part documentary series, Surviving R. Kelly, on sexual abuse allegations against the Grammy-winning singer. I was watching As long as a would-be juror could assure Judge Reinenweber that he was fair, seeing it didn't automatically disqualify him.
Among his twelve jurors selected was a retired realtor with a son who was a prosecutor and a son who was a defense attorney. Another juror was the librarian.
Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday morning, after which prosecutors will begin calling witnesses.
Overall, the judge dismissed about half of the more than 100 jurors who were scrutinized over two days in his 25th-floor large courtroom in downtown Chicago. .
Among those dismissed was a woman who said she viewed the police and judges unfavorably; One woman said she thought the IRS shouldn't exist.
Leinenweber tended to dismiss even the slightest reservations expressed by the jury candidates. He dismissed one juror who said large gatherings would make him uneasy, and a U.S. postal worker worried that mail would be delayed if she wasn't there. }
Kelly, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a surgical mask over his mouth and nose, traced the minutes from the defense table to the judges on Tuesday when the jury candidates answered them. At times it seemed that he was studying question.
During the lunch break, some of Kelly's supporters seated in the bleachers on the court made her hand a heart sign and pointed it at Kelly. He seemed to notice across the court, smiled and nodded.
One of her central focal points in the trial was Kelly, who is about 30 years old, threatening a girl who was allegedly videotaped having sex when she was under 14, It depends on whether you paid her money or not. Accusation against Kelly, conspiracy to obstruct justice.
A jury in a 2008 child pornography trial acquitted Kelly. Some jurors then explained that she felt she had no choice because the girl did not testify. The woman, now in her 30s and referred only to as "Minor 1" on court documents, will be the government's star witness in a federal trial expected to last four weeks.
She testified. At that time, prosecutors explained in court on Monday that they would not use her real name and would not refer to her as Minor 1. Kelly's attorneys suggested he could contest that some of his accusers were minors at the time. Sentenced to. Convicted in 2021 of using fame to sexually abuse other young fans.
on Chicago's South Side Climbing out of poverty to become a star singer, songwriter and producer, Kelly will be about 80 years old before he is eligible for early release under a New York-imposed sentence. he is complaining about it. At a minimum, he faces 10 years in prison if he is found guilty of creating child pornography.
Kelly faces his four counts of underage sexual temptation. They are also expected to testify.
Two of Kelly's colleagues, Derell McDavid and Milton Brown, are co-defendants in the Chicago trial. McDavid was accused of helping Kelly fix a 2008 trial, and Brown was charged with receiving child pornography.Like Kelly, they also deny any wrongdoing.
Minor 1 is expected to testify that she was seen on video having sex with Kelly. The recording was central to her month-long trial in 2008 and was played almost daily for the jury.
Minor 1 first met Kelly in the late 1990s when Kelly was in junior high school, according to government documents submitted before the trial. claims to have tagged into Kelly's Chicago recording studio with her aunt, a professional singer who works with her. I told you to be
According to prosecutors, Kelly later threatened and asked for payment to keep Minor 1 and her parents from testifying in her 2008.
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