A Chicago jury has begun deliberating its verdict in R. Kelly’s child pornography trial, after the closing arguments.
Prosecutors replayed the sex tape in which the R&B singer was having sex with a girl as young as 13. The tape reveals a man who is controlling the girl, “directing her to dance, where to stand, when to stop urinating,” Shauna Boliker, an assistant state’s attorney, told the jury.
The prosecution paid a lot of attention to details, pointing out each moment on the tape where authorities believe a crime was committed. They claim that justice should be made to the alleged victim, who is now 23 years old, although the victim never asked for justice herself.
While the tape was played, Assistant States Attorney Robert Heilingoetter reminded the jury that, during the trial, 14 people had personally identified the girl in the video and 12 of them identified the singer.
Kelly’s attorneys claimed the tape was a sophisticated fake, which was produced by people who had something against the artist and wanted to harm him. The defense also attacked witness Lisa Van Allen, who also appeared in the sex video, calling her a “liar” and “extortionist.” Attorney Sam Adam Jr. asked the jury to take into consideration the fact that neither the alleged victim nor her parents had taken any action against Kelly.
He said that, if the charges were true, “we would not be having a trial,” suggesting that any “solid man” in the girl’s family “would have gone round there and broken his legs.”
The 41-year-old star has pleaded not guilty to charges of having sex with the underage girl. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.