Six years ago, it was all over the news: R&B superstar R. Kelly accused of videotaping himself and a minor possibly as young as 13 at the time, performing sex acts famously parodied on “Chappelle’s Show”.
Such an obscene scandal under intense media scrutiny has tanked other superstar’s careers, but for now, Kelly seems bulletproof. Gary Glitter, convicted of possessing child pornography, fled the country and lives as a recluse. George Michael has parodied the events that led to his downfall–sex in a public bathroom–but has still not fully recovered. R. Kelly, however, is still a huge star with no visible dings, and it looks like he might even win this case.
A bit of backstory: Kelly was arrested in February 2002 after the video tape (which may have been made between 1998 and 2000) was sent to police by his local paper, the Chicago Sun-Times. Four months later, Kelly was charged with 21 counts relating to child pornography and released on $750,000 bail. Seven of the charges have since been dropped. Kelly’s lawyer has filed a motion to further postpone the case, but Chicago Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan is reported as not being likely to agree.
As of May 12th, three jurors had been selected. MTV news has reported that Chicago Sun-Times writer Jim DeRogatis’ name came up as a witness, and former R. Kelly manager (and Aaliyah’s uncle) Barry Hankerson was mentioned as another.
Kelly has been present for the jury selection process. Writer Jennifer Vineyard was in the courtroom and wrote for MTV.com, “For the most part, Kelly seemed disengaged from the process, staring at the table, often holding a tissue to his face as if he had a runny nose or was warding off a bad smell. (The men’s bathroom was only a few feet away from him, and at one point, deputies scrambled to find Lysol to spray in there, though no one else seemed to be affected. However, on Tuesday, May 13, a jury consultant asked Kelly if his cold had improved.)” Each juror would then be asked, “Can you look Mr. Kelly in the eye and tell him you can give him a fair trial?” at which point the singer would put down his tissue, look straight at them, and nod.
Provided 13 more jurors are selected in time, the trial is scheduled to begin on Friday.
