CHICAGO — The judge presiding over R. Kelly’s second federal trial sped through a slew of pretrial decisions Monday before prospective jurors were brought in, ruling in favor of prosecutors on several high-profile requests.
Judge Harry Leinenweber denied Kelly co-defendant Derrel McDavid’s request for more records about a former Kelly prosecutor’s communications with a key witness and Jim DeRogatis. He also rejected McDavid’s arguments that prosecutors botched the chain of custody on a key video, saying a witness is expected to vouch for its authenticity under oath.
He also granted prosecutors’ motion to exclude testimony from a doctor about Kelly’s low IQ; Kelly’s attorneys then said for the record they had decided against calling the doctor at trial anyway.
