CHICAGO-
Jury selection in the federal trial of R. Kelly on charges of tampering with his 2008 state child pornography trial began Monday with the judge and attorneys quickly focusing on whether potential jurors saw a 2019 documentary about allegations. of sexual abuse against the R&B singer.
After rejecting a request by Kelly’s attorney to automatically exclude from the jury anyone who has seen the six-part documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly,” US District Judge Harry Leinenweber questioned potential jurors about how much they saw and what they could remember about it. and whether they could be impartial if they were selected.
Jurors were asked if they watched the documentary in a questionnaire they had already completed. In one case, a woman who had left her answer blank acknowledged that she had seen several episodes. However, she was not immediately excused from serving.
In all, the judge fired at least half of the people he questioned on Monday. Most of the time, they were excluded after acknowledging that they could not promise to be fair. A woman who excused herself explained that she was not sure because she worked in education with children.
Jury selection was expected to continue through Tuesday.
The trial centers on whether Kelly threatened and paid off a girl he allegedly recorded having sex with when he was in his 30s and she was no more than 14. Jurors in the 2008 child pornography trial acquitted Kelly. Kelly, and some later explained they had no choice because the girl did not testify. The woman, now in her 30s and referred to in the documents only as “Minor 1,” will be the government’s star witness in the federal trial that is expected to last four weeks.
Kelly, 55, has already been sentenced by a New York federal judge to 30 years in prison for a 2021 conviction on charges that he used his fame to sexually abuse other young fans.
Wearing a light gray suit, yellow dress shirt, tie and black-rimmed glasses, Kelley quickly greeted prospective jurors as he was introduced by his attorney Jennifer Bonjean. Kelly also wore a surgical mask as part of the COVID-19 protocols for everyone entering the courthouse.
Kelly, who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side to become a star singer, songwriter and producer, faces multiple charges in the federal trial. They include four counts of enticing minors to have sex, one for each of the other four accusers. They too are scheduled to testify.
The Chicago convictions could add decades to Kelly’s New York sentence, which she is appealing. With the New York sentence alone, Kelly will be around 80 years old before qualifying for early release.
Two of Kelly’s associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, are co-defendants in the Chicago trial. McDavid is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 trial, while Brown is accused of receiving child pornography. Like Kelly, they have also denied any wrongdoing.
Two state cases are also pending. One is a multi-count sexual abuse case in the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago. The other is a solicitation case in Minnesota. No trial dates have been set for either.
Minor 1 is expected to testify that she was on video having sex with Kelly. The recording was at the center of the 2008 trial, which lasted a month, and was heard by jurors almost every day.
Minor 1 met Kelly in the late 1990s when he was in high school. He had joined Kelly’s recording studio in Chicago with her aunt, a professional singer who worked with Kelly. Shortly after, Minor 1 told her parents that Kelly would become her godfather.
Prosecutors say Kelly then threatened and tried to pay Minor 1 and her parents not to testify in 2008. Neither of them did.
The double jeopardy rules prohibit someone from being prosecuted for the same crimes for which they were previously acquitted. That does not apply to the federal trial because prosecutors allege different crimes related to Minor 1, including obstruction of justice.