
In Chicago, R. Kelly is standing trial for various crimes, including coercing a minor into sexual activity, receiving child pornography and obstructing a trial. As the trial has unfolded, at least four women have testified that the singer had sex with him as minors. One witness by the name of Pauline testified that she first had sex with R. Kelly when she was as young as 14 years old. Between the ages of 14 and 16, she estimates that she was forced to perform oral sex on the singer more than 80 times. Furthermore, she says that she and another witness by the name of Janine were forced to participate in threesomes with the singer more than a dozen times as minors. As they performed sexual acts on him, Pauline says that the singer filmed them.
“He taught me how to give oral sex on him and Jane,” Pauline testified.
Another woman by the name of Jane also testified in Kelly’s latest trial. Jane, who says she appeared in a widely distributed sex tape with R. Kelly as a minor, told the court that she was 14 when the singer began to abuse her.
“Uncountable times. Hundreds,” she answered when asked how many times she had sex with R. Kelly before she turned 18.
Adding on, two other women, Nia and Tracy, also testified this week regarding Kelly’s abusive behavior. Similarly, the singer forced the two women to perform sexual acts when they were teenagers.
After two weeks of testimony from a variety of women, the prosecution rested on Tuesday. On Wednesday, attorneys representing R. Kelly and his co-defendants filed a motion for an acquittal.
“They have totally failed the evidence they provide was insufficient to connect at all to what happened between 2002-2008,” attorney Beau Brindley said.
“Mr. Kelly does not claim to be a perfect man. He had made a lot of mistakes over the years but it is hard to listen to people tell falsehoods,” attorney Jennifer Bonjean added.
The trial of R. Kelly and his co-defendants is expected to continue later this week.