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The former pop superstar R. Kelly has repeatedly denied all abuse allegations. But now they have been presented again in detail in a court – and the jury found Kelly guilty.
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New York – From celebrated pop superstar to convicted sex offender: In the abuse trial against R. Kelly, a jury found the musician guilty on all nine counts.
The seven men and five women announced this at a court in New York after deliberating for just under two days. The 54-year-old was charged with sexual exploitation of minors, kidnapping and bribery, among other things.
According to observers, the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer, dressed in a blue suit and white mask, recorded the verdict motionless with his head bowed down. The singer, who has been in prison since his arrest in the summer of 2019, now faces a decade-long prison sentence. The sentence is due to be announced on May 4, 2022.
“The judiciary will get you”
“This judgment marks R. Kelly forever as a predator who has used his fame and fortune to exploit young, vulnerable and voiceless people for his own sexual satisfaction,” said the prosecutor in charge, Jacquelyn Kasulis, after the announcement. The jury sent a “strong message” to men like R. Kelly: “No matter how long it takes, the judiciary will get you.” Some of Kelly’s supporters had also gathered in front of the Brooklyn court.
The process is – after cases like those of film producer Harvey Weinstein and comedian Bill Cosby – another much-noticed legal reappraisal of the #MeToo era. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the process that was actually planned for May 2020 had previously been postponed several times. # MeToo founder Tarana Burke tweeted a short video of a dancing woman with the caption “Can you feel a whole new day?” Right after the verdict was announced.
Hundreds of pieces of evidence
For around six weeks, the public prosecutor’s office and defense at the court in front of Judge Ann Donnelly had detailed the abuse allegations against Kelly from several decades, disassembled them and presented their arguments. Dozens of witnesses had spoken and hundreds of pieces of evidence had been sighted.
Kelly was a sex offender, had argued attorney Elizabeth Geddes for the prosecution and demanded his conviction. Kelly’s lawyer Deveraux Cannick argued for the defense that the musician was himself a victim – of made-up stories and embellished narratives about abuse. Kelly did not testify herself, but followed the trial in the courtroom.
Acquittal in 2008
The first allegations against the musician, born in Chicago in 1967 as Robert Sylvester Kelly, became known about 25 years ago. In 2008 he was on trial for possession of pictures of serious child sexual abuse – and was acquitted. The music colossus seemed unassailable on its pop throne – with more than 50 million albums sold, several Grammys and other awards, it was one of the most successful musicians of the late 20th century.
But at the latest when the sensational documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” summarized the allegations in 2019, it became more and more lonely for the singer. Stars distanced themselves from him, as did radio stations, streaming services and then his music label RCA, which belongs to Sony Music.
After the verdict in New York, Kelly is now threatened with further legal disputes: There are also indictments against the musician in the US states of Illinois and Minnesota.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210927-99-387393 / 4
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