CHICAGO (WLS) — The second day of testimony gets underway in R. Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago gets underway Thursday.
Kelly’s attorneys are expected to cross-examine a detective who was on the stand Wednesday. The detective testified he interviewed a teenager in 2000 regarding inappropriate contact with the former R&B star.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien told jurors in opening statements that they will hear from five women who will testify they had sex with the R&B singer when they were underage.
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“Kelly is using a camcorder to record himself having sex with children,” Julien said.
He also warned jurors they will see snippets of three graphic videos.
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Kelly’s attorney told jurors the government’s witnesses have other motivations for testifying against him.
“They are criminals. They extorted Mr. Kelly and they all have immunity deals,” said Jennifer Bonjean, attorney for Kelly.
Attorneys for Kelly’s former business manager and assistant told jurors they were simply doing their jobs, following the director of Kelly and his attorneys, and had no knowledge of the singer having inappropriate contact with any minor.
Why is R. Kelly on trial again?
Kelly is accused of creating child pornography and, along with his co-defendants and former employees Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, accused of trying to pay off a minor seen in a pornographic video and her family to avoid prosecution in Cook County.
t’s still unclear if Kelly will testify in his own defense.
Kelly is in custody after being convicted and sentenced in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He’s appealing the verdict and the sentence in that case.
This trial is expected to last about three and a half weeks.
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