On Monday afternoon, after more than five weeks of testimony and arguments, a Brooklyn jury convicted R. Kelly on nine federal counts related to racketeering and sex trafficking. As a foreman of the jury read out the decisions, the R&B star, for decades a fixture of American culture, sat motionless, appearing blank behind his face mask. As the trial concluded, Kelly walked out of the courtroom flanked by security guards.
Federal prosecutors had pursued a racketeering case against Kelly that allowed them to examine a broad sweep of the singer’s career and professional operation, contending that he orchestrated a criminal enterprise of his employees and entourage to facilitate his repeated sexual abuse. Testimony from more than 40 witnesses included numerous accounts of Kelly’s abuse from roughly three decades, as well as from several employees who recalled their experiences working for him.
The jury reached its verdict after about nine hours of deliberation. A half dozen reporters and a sketch artist sat in the courtroom, which had until then been closed off to the press under orders of the judge in the case, Ann Marie Donnelly. In a separate overflow courtroom, about 30 journalists and 10 members of the public sat watching a screen upon which the proceedings unfolded.
“We the jury have finally reached a verdict,” Donnelly read from a note just after 3 p.m. Kelly adjusted his glasses as his lawyer Thomas Farinella whispered in his ear.
Because of the coronavirus and technological constraints, roughly the first half of the jury’s decisions were inaudible to onlookers. Donnelly received a note that ostensibly prompted a microphone to be turned on. The rest of the verdict unfolded clearly: a quick, even succession of a foreman reading, “Guilty, your honor.”
“It’s been clear to me that you’ve listened carefully,” Donnelly said as the proceedings concluded, and scheduled Kelly’s sentencing for May 4. He could now face life in prison. Kelly continued to stare straight ahead, and rose with his hands folded as the jury left the room. He conferred with his lawyers once more before leaving the courtroom, betraying little response—much as he had throughout the trial.
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September 28, 2021 at 03:37AM
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R. Kelly Trial Verdict: Singer Blank and Motionless as Found Guilty on All Counts - Vanity Fair
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