Woman describes frequent abuse by R Kelly

CHICAGO — A woman who has been central to R. Kelly’s legal troubles for more than two decades testified Thursday that the R&B singer sexually assaulted her “hundreds” of times before she turned 18, starting when she was 15.

Jane, the pseudonym of the 37-year-old woman at Kelly’s trial on charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice, told jurors that in the late 1990s, when she was 13, she asked the award-winning singer Grammy to be her godfather because she saw him as an inspiration and a mentor.

She said that within weeks, Kelly began calling her and saying sexual things to her. She stated that he first touched her breasts and other parts of her body when she was about 14 years old in a Chicago recording studio, and that around that time he “began penetration” at her home. in North Chicago. She told the jury that she was 15 years old when they first had sex. Kelly, 55, would have been in her 30s at the time.

Asked by a prosecutor how she knew what to do sexually, Jane replied, “He told me what to do.” When she was asked how many times she had sex before she turned 18, she quietly answered, “Countless times… Hundreds.”

Kelly, who is serving a 30-year sentence for his conviction earlier this year in New York on federal charges that he used his fame to sexually abuse fans, is on trial in his hometown of Chicago on other federal charges. Among the most serious is conspiracy to obstruct justice by allegedly fixing a 2008 trial on state child pornography charges stemming from an alleged video of him and Jane having sex when she was a minor.

Prosecutors say Kelly paid and threatened Jane to make sure she didn’t testify at that trial. She did not, and finally the singer was acquitted.

Kelly also faces charges of producing child pornography and enticing minors for sex. Unlike the 2008 trial, Jane cooperated with prosecutors prior to the current trial and is a critical witness.

During opening statements on Wednesday, prosecutor Jason Julien tried to prepare the jury for the testimony of accusers, including Jane, and reminded them that a central issue in the trial remained the exploitation of often frightened and confused children, Even though the accusers who would speak to the jurors are now adults.

Speaking softly and hesitantly as she took the stand Thursday, Jane described how she grew up in a musical family in a Chicago suburb and was homeschooled because she was in a touring musical group that she joined when she was about 12 years old.

Jane met Kelly in the late 1990s when she was in high school. She had gone to Kelly’s recording studio in Chicago with her aunt, a professional singer who worked with the singer. Shortly after that meeting, Jane told her parents that Kelly would be her best man.

As her testimony continued, Jane sounded calmer and more assertive, answering questions naturally.

Prosecutors have said Kelly filmed the video of Jane in a log cabin-style room in his North Chicago home between 1998 and 2000. In the video, the girl is heard calling the man “Dad.” Federal prosecutors say she and Kelly had sex hundreds of times over the years at Kelly’s homes, recording studios and tour buses.

Kelly, who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side to become a famous singer, songwriter and producer, knew a 2008 conviction would effectively end his life of success, so prosecutors say he conspired to fix that trial. .

According to prosecutors, Kelly told Jane and her parents to leave Chicago and paid for a trip to the Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico. When they returned, prosecutors say Kelly tried to isolate Jane, moving her to different hotels. When they were summoned before a state jury investigating the video, Jane and her parents denied that she was the one in it.

Tears streamed down his face on June 13, 2008, when he was acquitted of all child pornography charges. Some of the jurors told reporters after the trial that they were not convinced the woman in the video was who state prosecutors said she was.

Before the 2008 trial, Kelly carried a duffel bag full of sex tapes everywhere for years, but some tapes later disappeared, according to court documents. In the 2000s, pirated copies of some videos appeared on the streets of the United States.

In the early 2000s, Jane’s aunt showed her parents a copy of a video she told them showed her daughter having sex with Kelly. When they confronted Kelly, he told them, “You are either with me or against me,” according to a government document.

The parents took it as a threat.

Kelly, who has denied any wrongdoing, has been dogged for decades by complaints and accusations about his sexual conduct. The scrutiny intensified with the rise of the #MeToo era and 2019’s six-part documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”

Kelly also faces four counts of enticing minors for sex, one from each of the other four accusers. They are also expected to testify.

Prosecutors told the jury that the evidence includes at least three videos showing Kelly having sex with underage girls.

Two of Kelly’s associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, are co-defendants. McDavid is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 trial, while Brown is accused of receiving child pornography. Like Kelly, both have denied any wrongdoing.

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Woman describes frequent abuse by R Kelly