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R. Kelly Jurors Say Girl's Identity Was Key

AP
Posted: 2008-06-14 10:12:34
Filed Under: Celebrities in Court, Star Scandals, Music News
CHICAGO (June 14) - For R. Kelly, six years of pretrial delays came down to an agonizing 10 minutes.

As a court official began slowly reading the verdict for each of the 14 counts of child pornography against him, the R&B superstar clutched the hands of his flanking lawyers. He bowed his head and shut his eyes tight, barely moving.

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R. Kelly saluted onlookers on Friday as he left the Cook County Criminal Court Building after a jury acquitted the R&B star on all 14 counts in the child pornography case against him. Both Kelly and the alleged victim, now 23, denied being on the tape. Jurors later said they were sure it was Kelly in the tape, but they couldn't be certain about the identity of the girl.

As the official got to the last few counts Friday and it became clear Kelly had won a complete acquittal, tears streamed down the Grammy-winner's face.

"Thank you, Jesus," he repeated, over and over again, said one of his attorneys, Sam Adam Jr.

It had taken a jury of nine men and three women around seven hours of deliberations to acquit the 41-year-old singer on charges of videotaping himself having sex with a girl who prosecutors allege was as young as 13.

After the verdicts were read, a visibly stunned Kelly dabbed tears from his face with a handkerchief as he stood up and hugged each of his four attorneys.

The South Side native, who had faced up to 15 years in prison had he been convicted, left the courthouse surrounded by bodyguards. He smiled and waved to dozens of cheering fans before climbing into a waiting SUV.

In the end, jurors said prosecutors didn't convince them that the female in the video was who they said she was.

"You want to be 100 percent sure it's Kelly and (the alleged victim)," one juror said. "What we had wasn't enough."

Another juror said prosecutors left too many questions unanswered.

"All of us felt very much the grayness of this case," he said.

None of the five jurors who spoke to reporters after the verdict wanted to be identified.

Kelly, who won the Grammy Award in 1997 for the song "I Believe I Can Fly" and whose biggest hits are raunchy ballads like "Ignition," didn't speak to reporters as he left.

But a spokesman released a statement saying Kelly always knew that "when all the facts came out in court, he would be cleared of these terrible charges. ... all he wants to do is move forward and put it behind him."

Kelly and the now 23-year-old alleged victim had denied they were on the sexually graphic videotape at the heart of the case, though neither testified during the monthlong trial.

Testimony throughout the trial centered on whether the R&B superstar was the man who appears the tape, and whether the female who also appears on it was underage.

The jurors - who deliberated for three hours Thursday after closing arguments and for about four hours on Friday - said they remained sharply divided as late as Friday morning. A vote they took just a few hours before the acquittal had seven jurors voting not guilty and five voting guilty. Of the 12 jurors, eight were white and four were black.

Several jurors said one weakness in the prosecution's case was that neither the alleged victim nor her parents testified.

One juror said he just was not sure the female was who prosecutors said she was or that she was a minor - noting her body appeared too developed. Another said that while he was convinced it was Kelly on the tape, he had doubts about the female.

Asked by a reporter after the trial who the female in the sex tape was if not the alleged victim, Adam responded: "If you find that out, let us know."

Without the alleged victim, the prosecutors relied in part on a star witness who said she engaged in three-way sex with Kelly and the girl.

Defense attorneys labeled that woman an extortionist, claiming she sought hundreds of thousands of dollars from Kelly in exchange for her silence and stole his $20,000 watch at one point. They also argued that the man on the tape didn't have a large mole on his back, as Kelly does.

Jurors said the much ballyhooed mole defense rarely came up in deliberations and played no role in their verdict.

The alleged victim's family also presented a puzzle for the jury; three relatives testified they did not recognize her as the female on the tape, while other relatives said she was on the tape.

Ed Genson, one of Kelly's attorneys, said prosecutors didn't have much of a case.

"As for the so-called key evidence, I think we refuted all of it," he said.

Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Shauna Boliker said she believed the female on the tape was a victim, not a prostitute as the defense had contended.

"This shows the world how difficult this crime is to prosecute," she said. "It also takes the soul of the victim, the heart of the victim."

Despite his legal troubles, Kelly - who rose from poverty on Chicago's South Side to become a star singer, songwriter and producer - still retains a huge following, and his popularity has arguably grown in recent years.

The singer has released more than half a dozen albums, most of them million-sellers. He's also had a multitude of hits and gone on tours. His recent efforts include "Trapped in the Closet," a multipart saga about the sexual secrets of an ever-expanding cast of characters.

Kelly has a new song, "Hair Braider," out now, and is due to release a new album in July.

Associated Press writers Mike Robinson and Maria Danilova contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-06-03 06:45:27
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1404 comments

tcampbellman 08:50:48 AM Jun 16 2008

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Well done Kelly!

esleyha 10:32:49 PM Jun 15 2008

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A LOT STUPID PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE NOT GUILTY.................
DID YOU SAW THE TAPE ON THE FACE
HOW COME WAITED 6 YEARS
YOU SAW PEOPLE SAID THE WITNESS
WHO WAS WATCHING HAVE SEX
IF A GIRL IS 13 .......WHAT THE PARENTS IS DOING.....IT LOOK PARENTS WATCHIING THE SOAP OPERA.........
ONE LADY SAID THE LITTLE GIRL ON THE CAMERA
NEXT ANOTHER WOMAN SAID SHE'S NOT IN THE FILM
ONE NEWS SAID R. KELLY RECORDED HIS TAPE HIS SELF...BUT
NOW ONE MAN SAID HE RECORDED AND HE SAID I'M NOT GOING IN THE COURT.
THE JURY IS RIGHT .........I DON'T REMEMBER MAN MAN HE WAS ACTOR
IN BARETTA ON THE TV .......BARETTA IS NOT GUILTY BUT THE TIME SHE WANTED DIVORCE AND A LOT ARGUE OR SENATOR KENNEDY'S FAMILY
MAN(NEPHEW OR COUSIN) BUT HE NOT GUILTY BUT YOU HAVE WITNESS
AND BRUISES .......OH BUT IS OKAY..........DIFFERENT MIKE TYSON WAS ARRESTED ON RAPE BUT HE GUILTY BUT WAS NOT WITNESS AND BRUISES
SEX IS ONE TO ONE IT LOOKED THE WOMAN GAVE SEX BUT SHE WANT SOMETHING BUT MIKE SAID NO. MIKE WALKED OUT NO HO

esleyha 10:15:49 PM Jun 15 2008

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A LOT STUPID PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE NOT GUILTY.................
DID YOU SAW THE TAPE ON THE FACE
HOW COME WAITED 6 YEARS
YOU SAW PEOPLE SAID THE WITNESS
WHO WAS WATCHING HAVE SEX
IF A GIRL IS 13 .......WHAT THE PARENTS IS DOING.....IT LOOK PARENTS WATCHIING THE SOAP OPERA.........
ONE LADY SAID THE LITTLE GIRL ON THE CAMERA
NEXT ANOTHER WOMAN SAID SHE'S NOT IN THE FILM
ONE NEWS SAID R. KELLY RECORDED HIS TAPE HIS SELF...BUT
NOW ONE MAN SAID HE RECORDED

duzacm 08:50:13 PM Jun 15 2008

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He's free only to go out and do it again...

funnygurlm 08:35:06 PM Jun 15 2008

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Fakeasspearl needs to do better research.

No matter how much white @$$ you kiss,

you'll never be white. Get over it.

marshay10 06:56:21 PM Jun 15 2008

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well don't know body knows what happend in the basement of R.kelly house but R.kelly and the girl that was seen on the tape and GOD....so let it rest.....

ExpensivePearl 06:42:33 PM Jun 15 2008

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thanx michael jackson and rkelly for making it ok to have sexual relations with underage teens

sdave7596 06:32:41 PM Jun 15 2008

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The prosecution did not prove its case, that is their mistake. I hope Mr. Kelly is innocent as he says, but it seems some of his choices in women are questionable; as in he likes them young. Stick to adult women, Mr. Kelly.....next time you may not be so lucky.

mike0202 05:55:05 PM Jun 15 2008

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BUSH SUXS!

Meka504 05:48:13 PM Jun 15 2008

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We can give our comments, but in the end R.Kelly will have to answer to a higher power. He will have to live on this earth with his conscience. As said, What is done in the dark will come to light. It may or may not be over...

j12elliott 05:46:57 PM Jun 15 2008

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Anyone ever thought that R.Kelly did not know how old the girl was and was under the assumption she was of age. I can't tell a 13 year old from a 25 year old girl these days with the way their parents let them dress so slutty to say the least. Makeup all that stuff. These young girls seduce the man and the man gets the shaft. Lets all be realistic, unless you are a rapist, women have all the power. Seduction, say yes or no to it, keep the baby or not, get child support that rarely goes to the child. You know the woman was their too and said yes to the sex and spred her legs and let it happen, she has all the power yet the man is to blame for it all. He is the monster? Give me a break. Men my suggestion is to keep it zipped man your scewed if you do not. Get married do it right. Be a Christian. Women will take everything from you for one hour or night of pleasure. Is it really worth it?

I know my grahmer is not great and I have spelling problems for you egg heads...........

dgreen7545 05:44:37 PM Jun 15 2008

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a friend of mine sat in on a statutory **** case in Pensacola in which an underage girl offered to service some sailers, the accepted and she performed acceptably but then they were charged.

my friend said the girl looked over 18 to her so they voted to acquit, all but one man who swore he could tell the difference between an 18 year old and a 17 year old (although this hooker may have been younger) They wound up a hung jury voting 11 to one to acquit. don't know if they retried the case

dgreen7545 05:43:54 PM Jun 15 2008

Report This!

a friend of mine sat in on a statutory **** case in Pensacola in which an underage girl offered to service some sailers, the accepted and she performed acceptably but then they were charged.

my friend said the girl looked over 18 to her so they voted to acquit, all but one man who swore he could tell the difference between an 18 year old and a 17 year old (although this hooker may have been younger) They wound up a hung jury voting 11 to one to acquit. don't know if they retried the case

dgreen7545 05:43:46 PM Jun 15 2008

Report This!

a friend of mine sat in on a statutory **** case in Pensacola in which an underage girl offered to service some sailers, the accepted and she performed acceptably but then they were charged.

my friend said the girl looked over 18 to her so they voted to acquit, all but one man who swore he could tell the difference between an 18 year old and a 17 year old (although this hooker may have been younger) They wound up a hung jury voting 11 to one to acquit. don't know if they retried the case

dgreen7545 05:43:41 PM Jun 15 2008

Report This!

a friend of mine sat in on a statutory **** case in Pensacola in which an underage girl offered to service some sailers, the accepted and she performed acceptably but then they were charged.

my friend said the girl looked over 18 to her so they voted to acquit, all but one man who swore he could tell the difference between an 18 year old and a 17 year old (although this hooker may have been younger) They wound up a hung jury voting 11 to one to acquit. don't know if they retried the case

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