“Every once in a while a song comes along that touches all of us in a way that it doesn’t,” Kelsey Grammer said in the clip of the show played in court Wednesday. Then the curtain rose, the camera zoomed, and jurors saw Kelly at the height of his fame: 31 years old, bathed in blue spotlights, in front of a giant video of a soaring bald eagle. Kelly’s memorable performance of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which won multiple Grammy Awards, was played up by prosecutors to bolster his image as a powerful superstar. At the time of the video, however, Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted his young goddaughter for two years, part of a pattern of sexual misconduct that has now landed him in court for a second federal trial. As Kelly’s dulcet tones filled Dirksen’s large ceremonial US courtroom, his lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, seemed visibly pleased that the jury was hearing one of her client’s most acclaimed successes. She put her hand on Kelly’s shoulder in solidarity as they watched. But federal prosecutors said Kelly’s international stardom hid a dark side, one the world will soon see. “The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with many children,” Assistant US Attorney Jason Julien told jurors during his opening statements in the trial, where Kelly is accused of conspiring with two former partners to cover up his sexual abuse. . “He made videotapes of himself having sex with children. … And he kept those videos close, because if people found out that he had sex with children, he would be in a lot of trouble and it would ruin his career.” In her opening statement, Bonjean urged jurors to consider whether Kelly may himself be a victim of financial exploitation and extortion by bad actors trying to cash in on his fame. “There are strong incentives out there,” he said. “The government’s case really hinges on the testimony of liars, extortionists, people who were involved in the pornography trade.” Kelly, 55, was indicted three years ago on charges of child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice, alleging that he conspired to pervert his trial in Cook County in 2008 by paying off his then-godmother after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a now infamous videotape. Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, the indictment alleges, conspired to buy back incriminating sex tapes taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse. of minor girls. After two days of jury selection, the trial began in earnest Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who said it is expected to last about four weeks. When Leinenweber took the bench around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he had a rather ominous proclamation: “Things are never meant to be easy,” he said. A juror called to say she had developed a medical problem and wanted to be dismissed. Leinenweber excused her and replaced her with an alternate, changing the racial makeup of the jury to seven whites and five blacks. Proceedings were further delayed when two other jurors were stuck on a Metra train. Later in the trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Kelly’s former godmother, who is now 37, as well as four other women who were minors when Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted them. At the heart of the case are three videotapes – portions of which will be shown to jurors – that allegedly show Kelly having sex with his godmother, who goes by the nickname “Jane.” In two of them, Kelly repeatedly refers to the “14-year-old’s” anatomy, Julien said in his opening statement. Another videotape allegedly depicting child pornography will not be shown to jurors because Kelly and the defendants successfully covered it up, according to prosecutors. But witnesses will testify to its existence, said Julien. Kelly sat hunched over the defense table throughout opening statements, dressed in a dark blue suit and blue tie. For the most part, he seemed to stare straight ahead, even as Bonzan brought him back to the jury, which sits to his left in the courtroom. At times during prosecutors’ opening statements, he shook his head slightly. And when Bonjean told jurors he didn’t expect any special treatment, he nodded. Prosecutors said that when authorities began investigating one of the tapes in the early 2000s, Kelly sent “Jane” and her family on a month-long trip out of the country and lied to authorities when they returned. for the tape on Kelly’s Order. Over the next few years, they got deeper into Kelly’s web, in part because Jane’s father was a guitarist in Kelly’s band, prosecutors said. At one point, the family became heavily dependent on him financially. As Kelly awaited trial in Cook County, he and his co-defendants made extensive efforts to locate and cover up other tapes of him with “Jane,” prosecutors said, including a payoff that occurred during the 2008 trial, they said . Kelly and his team went to “extraordinary lengths” to get the incriminating videotapes back and prevent people from talking about their existence, prosecutors said. They paid huge sums, including one during Kelly’s trial in 2008, according to Julien. One such tape was returned by a man named Keith Murrell, Julien said. When he returned it, Brown told Murrell he had given them the “golden egg,” and after McDavid watched the tape, he hugged Murrell, Julien said. Meanwhile, defense attorneys have branded Murrell and other government witnesses as bogus extortionists — extortionists who stole sex tapes, tried to get rich off of them, and will now testify whatever prosecutors want in exchange for immunity. In opening statements on McDavid’s behalf, attorney Vadim Glozman said the former business manager acted only at the behest of Kelly’s top lawyers and investigators, none of whom would have risked their careers to cover up child pornography. “Doing your job as a lawyer and doing your job as a business manager to a superstar is not a crime. Being successful in your endeavors is not a crime,” Glozman said. And in the early 2000s, McDavid had every reason to believe the film at the center of the Cook County case was illegal, Glozman said. “Because he believed it, there was never any intent to obstruct justice,” he said. McDavid will take the stand and testify on his own behalf, Glozman said. Brown, meanwhile, was just a sidekick, a small cog in a big machine, his attorney, Kathleen Leon, said in her opening statement to jurors. Kelly intentionally kept all of his “personal dealings” secret from lower-level employees, and when rumors began to circulate that Kelly was being blackmailed with an edited sex tape, Brown believed them, Leon said. As for Kelly, Bonjean acknowledged that many of the jurors said they were familiar with some of the charges against him, but warned them not to buy into the simplistic portrait of a “monster” painted by prosecutors. “It is true that Mr. Kelly is imperfect,” he said. “It’s true that on his journey from poverty to stardom he stumbled along the way. It’s important when the government wants to paint him as a monster to remember that we’re talking about a human being. Please keep these feelings in check.” The prosecution’s first witness was Dr. Darrell Turner, a psychologist who has worked with victims and perpetrators of child sex abuse and was called to provide context to the victims’ accounts later in the trial. Turner said it is extremely common for victims of child sexual abuse to delay reporting that abuse for years. And victims who have been “groomed” often report feelings of love and protection toward their abusers, she said. False allegations are extremely rare and usually arise in the context of divorce or custody proceedings, according to Turner’s testimony. Near the end of the day, prosecutors called retired Chicago police detective Daniel Everett, who first investigated Kelly in October 2000 after an anonymous tip alleging he had sex with Jane. Everett says he interviewed the girl with her parents at a small shoe store in Oak Park. “Jane informed me that Robert Kelly was her godfather and that he had never abused her and would never do that to her,” she said. Everett said he filed a report noting the allegation of abuse was “baseless.” In February 2002, Everett said, then-Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis intercepted a sex tape sent to him allegedly featuring Kelly and Jane — the same tape that was the focus of the county’s charges Cook.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Everett said he immediately recognized the girl on the tape as Jane. Days later, police searched Kelly’s home on West George Street, where Everett said he noticed several similarities to the scenes in the video. “After viewing the video it was very apparent that this was the setting where it took place,” Everett testified. He said they tried to re-interview Jane and her family but were unable to reach them again. Everett will return to the witness stand for cross-examination on Thursday. Several Kelly supporters were in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, including a woman with his name tattooed on her upper arm. As court adjourned and Kelly was led back into custody, many of his fans chanted: “Goodbye, Robert!” He gave them a…
title: “Opening Statements Begin In R. Kelly S Second Federal Trial Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “Mark Grubb”
“Every once in a while a song comes along that touches all of us in a way that it doesn’t,” Kelsey Grammer said in the clip of the show played in court Wednesday. Then the curtain rose, the camera zoomed, and jurors saw Kelly at the height of his fame: 31 years old, bathed in blue spotlights, in front of a giant video of a soaring bald eagle. Kelly’s memorable performance of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which won multiple Grammy Awards, was played up by prosecutors to bolster his image as a powerful superstar. At the time of the video, however, Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted his young goddaughter for two years, part of a pattern of sexual misconduct that has now landed him in court for a second federal trial. As Kelly’s dulcet tones filled Dirksen’s large ceremonial US courtroom, his lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, seemed visibly pleased that the jury was hearing one of her client’s most acclaimed successes. She put her hand on Kelly’s shoulder in solidarity as they watched. But federal prosecutors said Kelly’s international stardom hid a dark side, one the world will soon see. “The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with many children,” Assistant US Attorney Jason Julien told jurors during his opening statements in the trial, where Kelly is accused of conspiring with two former partners to cover up his sexual abuse. . “He made videotapes of himself having sex with children. … And he kept those videos close, because if people found out that he had sex with children, he would be in a lot of trouble and it would ruin his career.” In her opening statement, Bonjean urged jurors to consider whether Kelly may himself be a victim of financial exploitation and extortion by bad actors trying to cash in on his fame. “There are strong incentives out there,” he said. “The government’s case really hinges on the testimony of liars, extortionists, people who were involved in the pornography trade.” Kelly, 55, was indicted three years ago on charges of child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice, alleging that he conspired to pervert his trial in Cook County in 2008 by paying off his then-godmother after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a now infamous videotape. Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, the indictment alleges, conspired to buy back incriminating sex tapes taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse. of minor girls. After two days of jury selection, the trial began in earnest Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who said it is expected to last about four weeks. When Leinenweber took the bench around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he had a rather ominous proclamation: “Things are never meant to be easy,” he said. A juror called to say she had developed a medical problem and wanted to be dismissed. Leinenweber excused her and replaced her with an alternate, changing the racial makeup of the jury to seven whites and five blacks. Proceedings were further delayed when two other jurors were stuck on a Metra train. Later in the trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Kelly’s former godmother, who is now 37, as well as four other women who were minors when Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted them. At the heart of the case are three videotapes – portions of which will be shown to jurors – that allegedly show Kelly having sex with his godmother, who goes by the nickname “Jane.” In two of them, Kelly repeatedly refers to the “14-year-old’s” anatomy, Julien said in his opening statement. Another videotape allegedly depicting child pornography will not be shown to jurors because Kelly and the defendants successfully covered it up, according to prosecutors. But witnesses will testify to its existence, said Julien. Kelly sat hunched over the defense table throughout opening statements, dressed in a dark blue suit and blue tie. For the most part, he seemed to stare straight ahead, even as Bonzan brought him back to the jury, which sits to his left in the courtroom. At times during prosecutors’ opening statements, he shook his head slightly. And when Bonjean told jurors he didn’t expect any special treatment, he nodded. Prosecutors said that when authorities began investigating one of the tapes in the early 2000s, Kelly sent “Jane” and her family on a month-long trip out of the country and lied to authorities when they returned. for the tape on Kelly’s Order. Over the next few years, they got deeper into Kelly’s web, in part because Jane’s father was a guitarist in Kelly’s band, prosecutors said. At one point, the family became heavily dependent on him financially. As Kelly awaited trial in Cook County, he and his co-defendants made extensive efforts to locate and cover up other tapes of him with “Jane,” prosecutors said, including a payoff that occurred during the 2008 trial, they said . Kelly and his team went to “extraordinary lengths” to get the incriminating videotapes back and prevent people from talking about their existence, prosecutors said. They paid huge sums, including one during Kelly’s trial in 2008, according to Julien. One such tape was returned by a man named Keith Murrell, Julien said. When he returned it, Brown told Murrell he had given them the “golden egg,” and after McDavid watched the tape, he hugged Murrell, Julien said. Meanwhile, defense attorneys have branded Murrell and other government witnesses as bogus extortionists — extortionists who stole sex tapes, tried to get rich off of them, and will now testify whatever prosecutors want in exchange for immunity. In opening statements on McDavid’s behalf, attorney Vadim Glozman said the former business manager acted only at the behest of Kelly’s top lawyers and investigators, none of whom would have risked their careers to cover up child pornography. “Doing your job as a lawyer and doing your job as a business manager to a superstar is not a crime. Being successful in your endeavors is not a crime,” Glozman said. And in the early 2000s, McDavid had every reason to believe the film at the center of the Cook County case was illegal, Glozman said. “Because he believed it, there was never any intent to obstruct justice,” he said. McDavid will take the stand and testify on his own behalf, Glozman said. Brown, meanwhile, was just a sidekick, a small cog in a big machine, his attorney, Kathleen Leon, said in her opening statement to jurors. Kelly intentionally kept all of his “personal dealings” secret from lower-level employees, and when rumors began to circulate that Kelly was being blackmailed with an edited sex tape, Brown believed them, Leon said. As for Kelly, Bonjean acknowledged that many of the jurors said they were familiar with some of the charges against him, but warned them not to buy into the simplistic portrait of a “monster” painted by prosecutors. “It is true that Mr. Kelly is imperfect,” he said. “It’s true that on his journey from poverty to stardom he stumbled along the way. It’s important when the government wants to paint him as a monster to remember that we’re talking about a human being. Please keep these feelings in check.” The prosecution’s first witness was Dr. Darrell Turner, a psychologist who has worked with victims and perpetrators of child sex abuse and was called to provide context to the victims’ accounts later in the trial. Turner said it is extremely common for victims of child sexual abuse to delay reporting that abuse for years. And victims who have been “groomed” often report feelings of love and protection toward their abusers, she said. False allegations are extremely rare and usually arise in the context of divorce or custody proceedings, according to Turner’s testimony. Near the end of the day, prosecutors called retired Chicago police detective Daniel Everett, who first investigated Kelly in October 2000 after an anonymous tip alleging he had sex with Jane. Everett says he interviewed the girl with her parents at a small shoe store in Oak Park. “Jane informed me that Robert Kelly was her godfather and that he had never abused her and would never do that to her,” she said. Everett said he filed a report noting the allegation of abuse was “baseless.” In February 2002, Everett said, then-Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis intercepted a sex tape sent to him allegedly featuring Kelly and Jane — the same tape that was the focus of the county’s charges Cook.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Everett said he immediately recognized the girl on the tape as Jane. Days later, police searched Kelly’s home on West George Street, where Everett said he noticed several similarities to the scenes in the video. “After viewing the video it was very apparent that this was the setting where it took place,” Everett testified. He said they tried to re-interview Jane and her family but were unable to reach them again. Everett will return to the witness stand for cross-examination on Thursday. Several Kelly supporters were in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, including a woman with his name tattooed on her upper arm. As court adjourned and Kelly was led back into custody, many of his fans chanted: “Goodbye, Robert!” He gave them a…
title: “Opening Statements Begin In R. Kelly S Second Federal Trial Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-19” author: “Ana Brown”
“Every once in a while a song comes along that touches all of us in a way that it doesn’t,” Kelsey Grammer said in the clip of the show played in court Wednesday. Then the curtain rose, the camera zoomed, and jurors saw Kelly at the height of his fame: 31 years old, bathed in blue spotlights, in front of a giant video of a soaring bald eagle. Kelly’s memorable performance of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which won multiple Grammy Awards, was played up by prosecutors to bolster his image as a powerful superstar. At the time of the video, however, Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted his young goddaughter for two years, part of a pattern of sexual misconduct that has now landed him in court for a second federal trial. As Kelly’s dulcet tones filled Dirksen’s large ceremonial US courtroom, his lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, seemed visibly pleased that the jury was hearing one of her client’s most acclaimed successes. She put her hand on Kelly’s shoulder in solidarity as they watched. But federal prosecutors said Kelly’s international stardom hid a dark side, one the world will soon see. “The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with many children,” Assistant US Attorney Jason Julien told jurors during his opening statements in the trial, where Kelly is accused of conspiring with two former partners to cover up his sexual abuse. . “He made videotapes of himself having sex with children. … And he kept those videos close, because if people found out that he had sex with children, he would be in a lot of trouble and it would ruin his career.” In her opening statement, Bonjean urged jurors to consider whether Kelly may himself be a victim of financial exploitation and extortion by bad actors trying to cash in on his fame. “There are strong incentives out there,” he said. “The government’s case really hinges on the testimony of liars, extortionists, people who were involved in the pornography trade.” Kelly, 55, was indicted three years ago on charges of child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice, alleging that he conspired to pervert his trial in Cook County in 2008 by paying off his then-godmother after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a now infamous videotape. Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, the indictment alleges, conspired to buy back incriminating sex tapes taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse. of minor girls. After two days of jury selection, the trial began in earnest Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who said it is expected to last about four weeks. When Leinenweber took the bench around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he had a rather ominous proclamation: “Things are never meant to be easy,” he said. A juror called to say she had developed a medical problem and wanted to be dismissed. Leinenweber excused her and replaced her with an alternate, changing the racial makeup of the jury to seven whites and five blacks. Proceedings were further delayed when two other jurors were stuck on a Metra train. Later in the trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Kelly’s former godmother, who is now 37, as well as four other women who were minors when Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted them. At the heart of the case are three videotapes – portions of which will be shown to jurors – that allegedly show Kelly having sex with his godmother, who goes by the nickname “Jane.” In two of them, Kelly repeatedly refers to the “14-year-old’s” anatomy, Julien said in his opening statement. Another videotape allegedly depicting child pornography will not be shown to jurors because Kelly and the defendants successfully covered it up, according to prosecutors. But witnesses will testify to its existence, said Julien. Kelly sat hunched over the defense table throughout opening statements, dressed in a dark blue suit and blue tie. For the most part, he seemed to stare straight ahead, even as Bonzan brought him back to the jury, which sits to his left in the courtroom. At times during prosecutors’ opening statements, he shook his head slightly. And when Bonjean told jurors he didn’t expect any special treatment, he nodded. Prosecutors said that when authorities began investigating one of the tapes in the early 2000s, Kelly sent “Jane” and her family on a month-long trip out of the country and lied to authorities when they returned. for the tape on Kelly’s Order. Over the next few years, they got deeper into Kelly’s web, in part because Jane’s father was a guitarist in Kelly’s band, prosecutors said. At one point, the family became heavily dependent on him financially. As Kelly awaited trial in Cook County, he and his co-defendants made extensive efforts to locate and cover up other tapes of him with “Jane,” prosecutors said, including a payoff that occurred during the 2008 trial, they said . Kelly and his team went to “extraordinary lengths” to get the incriminating videotapes back and prevent people from talking about their existence, prosecutors said. They paid huge sums, including one during Kelly’s trial in 2008, according to Julien. One such tape was returned by a man named Keith Murrell, Julien said. When he returned it, Brown told Murrell he had given them the “golden egg,” and after McDavid watched the tape, he hugged Murrell, Julien said. Meanwhile, defense attorneys have branded Murrell and other government witnesses as bogus extortionists — extortionists who stole sex tapes, tried to get rich off of them, and will now testify whatever prosecutors want in exchange for immunity. In opening statements on McDavid’s behalf, attorney Vadim Glozman said the former business manager acted only at the behest of Kelly’s top lawyers and investigators, none of whom would have risked their careers to cover up child pornography. “Doing your job as a lawyer and doing your job as a business manager to a superstar is not a crime. Being successful in your endeavors is not a crime,” Glozman said. And in the early 2000s, McDavid had every reason to believe the film at the center of the Cook County case was illegal, Glozman said. “Because he believed it, there was never any intent to obstruct justice,” he said. McDavid will take the stand and testify on his own behalf, Glozman said. Brown, meanwhile, was just a sidekick, a small cog in a big machine, his attorney, Kathleen Leon, said in her opening statement to jurors. Kelly intentionally kept all of his “personal dealings” secret from lower-level employees, and when rumors began to circulate that Kelly was being blackmailed with an edited sex tape, Brown believed them, Leon said. As for Kelly, Bonjean acknowledged that many of the jurors said they were familiar with some of the charges against him, but warned them not to buy into the simplistic portrait of a “monster” painted by prosecutors. “It is true that Mr. Kelly is imperfect,” he said. “It’s true that on his journey from poverty to stardom he stumbled along the way. It’s important when the government wants to paint him as a monster to remember that we’re talking about a human being. Please keep these feelings in check.” The prosecution’s first witness was Dr. Darrell Turner, a psychologist who has worked with victims and perpetrators of child sex abuse and was called to provide context to the victims’ accounts later in the trial. Turner said it is extremely common for victims of child sexual abuse to delay reporting that abuse for years. And victims who have been “groomed” often report feelings of love and protection toward their abusers, she said. False allegations are extremely rare and usually arise in the context of divorce or custody proceedings, according to Turner’s testimony. Near the end of the day, prosecutors called retired Chicago police detective Daniel Everett, who first investigated Kelly in October 2000 after an anonymous tip alleging he had sex with Jane. Everett says he interviewed the girl with her parents at a small shoe store in Oak Park. “Jane informed me that Robert Kelly was her godfather and that he had never abused her and would never do that to her,” she said. Everett said he filed a report noting the allegation of abuse was “baseless.” In February 2002, Everett said, then-Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis intercepted a sex tape sent to him allegedly featuring Kelly and Jane — the same tape that was the focus of the county’s charges Cook.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Everett said he immediately recognized the girl on the tape as Jane. Days later, police searched Kelly’s home on West George Street, where Everett said he noticed several similarities to the scenes in the video. “After viewing the video it was very apparent that this was the setting where it took place,” Everett testified. He said they tried to re-interview Jane and her family but were unable to reach them again. Everett will return to the witness stand for cross-examination on Thursday. Several Kelly supporters were in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, including a woman with his name tattooed on her upper arm. As court adjourned and Kelly was led back into custody, many of his fans chanted: “Goodbye, Robert!” He gave them a…
title: “Opening Statements Begin In R. Kelly S Second Federal Trial Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-03” author: “Frederick Flores”
“Every once in a while a song comes along that touches all of us in a way that it doesn’t,” Kelsey Grammer said in the clip of the show played in court Wednesday. Then the curtain rose, the camera zoomed, and jurors saw Kelly at the height of his fame: 31 years old, bathed in blue spotlights, in front of a giant video of a soaring bald eagle. Kelly’s memorable performance of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which won multiple Grammy Awards, was played up by prosecutors to bolster his image as a powerful superstar. At the time of the video, however, Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted his young goddaughter for two years, part of a pattern of sexual misconduct that has now landed him in court for a second federal trial. As Kelly’s dulcet tones filled Dirksen’s large ceremonial US courtroom, his lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, seemed visibly pleased that the jury was hearing one of her client’s most acclaimed successes. She put her hand on Kelly’s shoulder in solidarity as they watched. But federal prosecutors said Kelly’s international stardom hid a dark side, one the world will soon see. “The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with many children,” Assistant US Attorney Jason Julien told jurors during his opening statements in the trial, where Kelly is accused of conspiring with two former partners to cover up his sexual abuse. . “He made videotapes of himself having sex with children. … And he kept those videos close, because if people found out that he had sex with children, he would be in a lot of trouble and it would ruin his career.” In her opening statement, Bonjean urged jurors to consider whether Kelly may himself be a victim of financial exploitation and extortion by bad actors trying to cash in on his fame. “There are strong incentives out there,” he said. “The government’s case really hinges on the testimony of liars, extortionists, people who were involved in the pornography trade.” Kelly, 55, was indicted three years ago on charges of child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice, alleging that he conspired to pervert his trial in Cook County in 2008 by paying off his then-godmother after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a now infamous videotape. Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, the indictment alleges, conspired to buy back incriminating sex tapes taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse. of minor girls. After two days of jury selection, the trial began in earnest Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who said it is expected to last about four weeks. When Leinenweber took the bench around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he had a rather ominous proclamation: “Things are never meant to be easy,” he said. A juror called to say she had developed a medical problem and wanted to be dismissed. Leinenweber excused her and replaced her with an alternate, changing the racial makeup of the jury to seven whites and five blacks. Proceedings were further delayed when two other jurors were stuck on a Metra train. Later in the trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Kelly’s former godmother, who is now 37, as well as four other women who were minors when Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted them. At the heart of the case are three videotapes – portions of which will be shown to jurors – that allegedly show Kelly having sex with his godmother, who goes by the nickname “Jane.” In two of them, Kelly repeatedly refers to the “14-year-old’s” anatomy, Julien said in his opening statement. Another videotape allegedly depicting child pornography will not be shown to jurors because Kelly and the defendants successfully covered it up, according to prosecutors. But witnesses will testify to its existence, said Julien. Kelly sat hunched over the defense table throughout opening statements, dressed in a dark blue suit and blue tie. For the most part, he seemed to stare straight ahead, even as Bonzan brought him back to the jury, which sits to his left in the courtroom. At times during prosecutors’ opening statements, he shook his head slightly. And when Bonjean told jurors he didn’t expect any special treatment, he nodded. Prosecutors said that when authorities began investigating one of the tapes in the early 2000s, Kelly sent “Jane” and her family on a month-long trip out of the country and lied to authorities when they returned. for the tape on Kelly’s Order. Over the next few years, they got deeper into Kelly’s web, in part because Jane’s father was a guitarist in Kelly’s band, prosecutors said. At one point, the family became heavily dependent on him financially. As Kelly awaited trial in Cook County, he and his co-defendants made extensive efforts to locate and cover up other tapes of him with “Jane,” prosecutors said, including a payoff that occurred during the 2008 trial, they said . Kelly and his team went to “extraordinary lengths” to get the incriminating videotapes back and prevent people from talking about their existence, prosecutors said. They paid huge sums, including one during Kelly’s trial in 2008, according to Julien. One such tape was returned by a man named Keith Murrell, Julien said. When he returned it, Brown told Murrell he had given them the “golden egg,” and after McDavid watched the tape, he hugged Murrell, Julien said. Meanwhile, defense attorneys have branded Murrell and other government witnesses as bogus extortionists — extortionists who stole sex tapes, tried to get rich off of them, and will now testify whatever prosecutors want in exchange for immunity. In opening statements on McDavid’s behalf, attorney Vadim Glozman said the former business manager acted only at the behest of Kelly’s top lawyers and investigators, none of whom would have risked their careers to cover up child pornography. “Doing your job as a lawyer and doing your job as a business manager to a superstar is not a crime. Being successful in your endeavors is not a crime,” Glozman said. And in the early 2000s, McDavid had every reason to believe the film at the center of the Cook County case was illegal, Glozman said. “Because he believed it, there was never any intent to obstruct justice,” he said. McDavid will take the stand and testify on his own behalf, Glozman said. Brown, meanwhile, was just a sidekick, a small cog in a big machine, his attorney, Kathleen Leon, said in her opening statement to jurors. Kelly intentionally kept all of his “personal dealings” secret from lower-level employees, and when rumors began to circulate that Kelly was being blackmailed with an edited sex tape, Brown believed them, Leon said. As for Kelly, Bonjean acknowledged that many of the jurors said they were familiar with some of the charges against him, but warned them not to buy into the simplistic portrait of a “monster” painted by prosecutors. “It is true that Mr. Kelly is imperfect,” he said. “It’s true that on his journey from poverty to stardom he stumbled along the way. It’s important when the government wants to paint him as a monster to remember that we’re talking about a human being. Please keep these feelings in check.” The prosecution’s first witness was Dr. Darrell Turner, a psychologist who has worked with victims and perpetrators of child sex abuse and was called to provide context to the victims’ accounts later in the trial. Turner said it is extremely common for victims of child sexual abuse to delay reporting that abuse for years. And victims who have been “groomed” often report feelings of love and protection toward their abusers, she said. False allegations are extremely rare and usually arise in the context of divorce or custody proceedings, according to Turner’s testimony. Near the end of the day, prosecutors called retired Chicago police detective Daniel Everett, who first investigated Kelly in October 2000 after an anonymous tip alleging he had sex with Jane. Everett says he interviewed the girl with her parents at a small shoe store in Oak Park. “Jane informed me that Robert Kelly was her godfather and that he had never abused her and would never do that to her,” she said. Everett said he filed a report noting the allegation of abuse was “baseless.” In February 2002, Everett said, then-Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis intercepted a sex tape sent to him allegedly featuring Kelly and Jane — the same tape that was the focus of the county’s charges Cook.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Everett said he immediately recognized the girl on the tape as Jane. Days later, police searched Kelly’s home on West George Street, where Everett said he noticed several similarities to the scenes in the video. “After viewing the video it was very apparent that this was the setting where it took place,” Everett testified. He said they tried to re-interview Jane and her family but were unable to reach them again. Everett will return to the witness stand for cross-examination on Thursday. Several Kelly supporters were in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, including a woman with his name tattooed on her upper arm. As court adjourned and Kelly was led back into custody, many of his fans chanted: “Goodbye, Robert!” He gave them a…
title: “Opening Statements Begin In R. Kelly S Second Federal Trial Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “Kenneth Farmer”
“Every once in a while a song comes along that touches all of us in a way that it doesn’t,” Kelsey Grammer said in the clip of the show played in court Wednesday. Then the curtain rose, the camera zoomed, and jurors saw Kelly at the height of his fame: 31 years old, bathed in blue spotlights, in front of a giant video of a soaring bald eagle. Kelly’s memorable performance of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which won multiple Grammy Awards, was played up by prosecutors to bolster his image as a powerful superstar. At the time of the video, however, Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted his young goddaughter for two years, part of a pattern of sexual misconduct that has now landed him in court for a second federal trial. As Kelly’s dulcet tones filled Dirksen’s large ceremonial US courtroom, his lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, seemed visibly pleased that the jury was hearing one of her client’s most acclaimed successes. She put her hand on Kelly’s shoulder in solidarity as they watched. But federal prosecutors said Kelly’s international stardom hid a dark side, one the world will soon see. “The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with many children,” Assistant US Attorney Jason Julien told jurors during his opening statements in the trial, where Kelly is accused of conspiring with two former partners to cover up his sexual abuse. . “He made videotapes of himself having sex with children. … And he kept those videos close, because if people found out that he had sex with children, he would be in a lot of trouble and it would ruin his career.” In her opening statement, Bonjean urged jurors to consider whether Kelly may himself be a victim of financial exploitation and extortion by bad actors trying to cash in on his fame. “There are strong incentives out there,” he said. “The government’s case really hinges on the testimony of liars, extortionists, people who were involved in the pornography trade.” Kelly, 55, was indicted three years ago on charges of child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice, alleging that he conspired to pervert his trial in Cook County in 2008 by paying off his then-godmother after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at a now infamous videotape. Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, the indictment alleges, conspired to buy back incriminating sex tapes taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse. of minor girls. After two days of jury selection, the trial began in earnest Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who said it is expected to last about four weeks. When Leinenweber took the bench around 10 a.m. Wednesday, he had a rather ominous proclamation: “Things are never meant to be easy,” he said. A juror called to say she had developed a medical problem and wanted to be dismissed. Leinenweber excused her and replaced her with an alternate, changing the racial makeup of the jury to seven whites and five blacks. Proceedings were further delayed when two other jurors were stuck on a Metra train. Later in the trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Kelly’s former godmother, who is now 37, as well as four other women who were minors when Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted them. At the heart of the case are three videotapes – portions of which will be shown to jurors – that allegedly show Kelly having sex with his godmother, who goes by the nickname “Jane.” In two of them, Kelly repeatedly refers to the “14-year-old’s” anatomy, Julien said in his opening statement. Another videotape allegedly depicting child pornography will not be shown to jurors because Kelly and the defendants successfully covered it up, according to prosecutors. But witnesses will testify to its existence, said Julien. Kelly sat hunched over the defense table throughout opening statements, dressed in a dark blue suit and blue tie. For the most part, he seemed to stare straight ahead, even as Bonzan brought him back to the jury, which sits to his left in the courtroom. At times during prosecutors’ opening statements, he shook his head slightly. And when Bonjean told jurors he didn’t expect any special treatment, he nodded. Prosecutors said that when authorities began investigating one of the tapes in the early 2000s, Kelly sent “Jane” and her family on a month-long trip out of the country and lied to authorities when they returned. for the tape on Kelly’s Order. Over the next few years, they got deeper into Kelly’s web, in part because Jane’s father was a guitarist in Kelly’s band, prosecutors said. At one point, the family became heavily dependent on him financially. As Kelly awaited trial in Cook County, he and his co-defendants made extensive efforts to locate and cover up other tapes of him with “Jane,” prosecutors said, including a payoff that occurred during the 2008 trial, they said . Kelly and his team went to “extraordinary lengths” to get the incriminating videotapes back and prevent people from talking about their existence, prosecutors said. They paid huge sums, including one during Kelly’s trial in 2008, according to Julien. One such tape was returned by a man named Keith Murrell, Julien said. When he returned it, Brown told Murrell he had given them the “golden egg,” and after McDavid watched the tape, he hugged Murrell, Julien said. Meanwhile, defense attorneys have branded Murrell and other government witnesses as bogus extortionists — extortionists who stole sex tapes, tried to get rich off of them, and will now testify whatever prosecutors want in exchange for immunity. In opening statements on McDavid’s behalf, attorney Vadim Glozman said the former business manager acted only at the behest of Kelly’s top lawyers and investigators, none of whom would have risked their careers to cover up child pornography. “Doing your job as a lawyer and doing your job as a business manager to a superstar is not a crime. Being successful in your endeavors is not a crime,” Glozman said. And in the early 2000s, McDavid had every reason to believe the film at the center of the Cook County case was illegal, Glozman said. “Because he believed it, there was never any intent to obstruct justice,” he said. McDavid will take the stand and testify on his own behalf, Glozman said. Brown, meanwhile, was just a sidekick, a small cog in a big machine, his attorney, Kathleen Leon, said in her opening statement to jurors. Kelly intentionally kept all of his “personal dealings” secret from lower-level employees, and when rumors began to circulate that Kelly was being blackmailed with an edited sex tape, Brown believed them, Leon said. As for Kelly, Bonjean acknowledged that many of the jurors said they were familiar with some of the charges against him, but warned them not to buy into the simplistic portrait of a “monster” painted by prosecutors. “It is true that Mr. Kelly is imperfect,” he said. “It’s true that on his journey from poverty to stardom he stumbled along the way. It’s important when the government wants to paint him as a monster to remember that we’re talking about a human being. Please keep these feelings in check.” The prosecution’s first witness was Dr. Darrell Turner, a psychologist who has worked with victims and perpetrators of child sex abuse and was called to provide context to the victims’ accounts later in the trial. Turner said it is extremely common for victims of child sexual abuse to delay reporting that abuse for years. And victims who have been “groomed” often report feelings of love and protection toward their abusers, she said. False allegations are extremely rare and usually arise in the context of divorce or custody proceedings, according to Turner’s testimony. Near the end of the day, prosecutors called retired Chicago police detective Daniel Everett, who first investigated Kelly in October 2000 after an anonymous tip alleging he had sex with Jane. Everett says he interviewed the girl with her parents at a small shoe store in Oak Park. “Jane informed me that Robert Kelly was her godfather and that he had never abused her and would never do that to her,” she said. Everett said he filed a report noting the allegation of abuse was “baseless.” In February 2002, Everett said, then-Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis intercepted a sex tape sent to him allegedly featuring Kelly and Jane — the same tape that was the focus of the county’s charges Cook.
Afternoon briefing
Daily Top stories from Chicago Tribune editors, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. Everett said he immediately recognized the girl on the tape as Jane. Days later, police searched Kelly’s home on West George Street, where Everett said he noticed several similarities to the scenes in the video. “After viewing the video it was very apparent that this was the setting where it took place,” Everett testified. He said they tried to re-interview Jane and her family but were unable to reach them again. Everett will return to the witness stand for cross-examination on Thursday. Several Kelly supporters were in the courtroom to watch the proceedings, including a woman with his name tattooed on her upper arm. As court adjourned and Kelly was led back into custody, many of his fans chanted: “Goodbye, Robert!” He gave them a…
