After about five hours of closing arguments Monday from federal prosecutors and attorneys for two co-defendants, R. Kelly’s lead attorney is set to begin her final presentation to jurors Tuesday morning.
After Jennifer Bonjean concludes, prosecutors are expected to give about an hour of rebuttal argument, after which jurors would be formally instructed on the law and begin to deliberate.
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The arguments come as Kelly’s trial has stretched into its fifth week at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. Jurors have heard from nearly three dozen witnesses since mid August.
Toward the end of Monday’s closing arguments, one juror informed authorities she was having a panic attack and she could not continue. Judge Harry Leinenweber dismissed her and replaced her with an alternate.
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Kelly, 55, faces an indictment charging him with 13 counts of producing and receiving child pornography, enticing minors to engage in criminal sexual activity, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Also charged are former Kelly associates McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, who are accused in an alleged scheme to buy back incriminating sex tapes that had been taken from Kelly’s collection and to hide years of alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
The arguments began Monday with a scathingly methodical presentation from prosecutors and a fire-and-brimstone statement on behalf of Kelly’s former business manager.
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Prosecutors in the packed ceremonial courtroom started by reminding jurors of their strongest evidence against the singer: The multiple videos they viewed showing Kelly sexually abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter, “Jane.”
“Kelly and his team, they did their level best … to cover up the fact that Robert Kelly, R. Kelly the R&B superstar, is actually a sexual predator. They did their best, but in the end, they failed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Pozolo said.
“We are here today because those tapes that they concealed for 20 years are no longer their secret. You have seen the tapes. You have seen what Kelly did to Jane.”
Meanwhile, the attorney for Kelly’s co-defendant, Derrel McDavid, told jurors in his closing argument that the prosecution was riddled with reasonable doubt and based on untrustworthy witnesses, and that McDavid had no way of knowing whether Kelly was really sexually abusing minors.
“The man didn’t know,” lawyer Beau Brindley said. “They’ve got nothing! … Their case can’t be trusted.”
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