Jurors in the latest federal trial of R&B star R. Kelly are expected Friday afternoon to view portions of graphic alleged child pornography at issue in the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien warned them earlier this week that they’d have to view the videos, saying “the videos are difficult to watch, but it’s important for you all to watch those videos to understand what happened.”
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber has ruled that the videos should not be viewed by the public. However, it wasn’t clear Friday morning how that would work logistically. Prosecutors repeatedly asked Leinenweber to clear the courtroom when it comes time to play the videos, but Leinenweber resisted.
He also said he was not concerned with members of the public hearing the accompanying audio.
Earlier Friday, Kelly’s lawyers questioned the feds’ star witness, who claims Kelly sexually abused her when she was a minor, and that he recorded it.
The woman, now 37 and testifying in court under the pseudonym “Jane,” spent much of her time on the stand Friday answering questions intended to cast doubt on her reasons for coming forward about her alleged abuse by Kelly that she said began when she was 14 and continued even after the singer stood trial on child pornography charges in 2008.
Kelly lawyer Jennifer Bonjean pointed out that the woman and her parents, who also are expected to testify against the singer, had denied allegations Kelly had sex with her while she was a minor for more than two decades.
Jane and her parents had also refused to testify against Kelly in his 2008 as Kelly stood trial for allegedly making a pornographic tape with the then-14-year-old.
Jane testified Friday she decided to come forward in 2019 and cooperate with prosecutors, because she could no longer bear the weight of lying about what happened — as she had when she was previously questioned by police and a state grand jury.
But Bonjean also suggested she asked the singer for a payoff to remain silent, pointing to text messages Jane and Kelly exchanged after the “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries again propelled his 2008 trial and other allegations of sexual abuse into national headlines.
The texts showed Jane reached out to Kelly multiple times after the docuseries premiered in early 2019. Initially, her texts were supportive, including writing “I love you don’t let the devil win.”
But Bonjean focused on a cryptic message that came later.
“You need to call me right away or I’m making decisions on my own,” Jane wrote.
On Friday, Jane explained: “The decision I was going to make would have been to cooperate with the authorities because I no longer wanted to carry his lies.”
Bonjean said Jane had asked for money after learning authorities again were looking into allegations Kelly had sex with minors.
“You called Robert because you wanted to work out a situation where he would pay you not to cooperate,” Bonjean suggested.
“That is not correct,” Jane replied.
