R. Kelly: Tale of the tape; reporter Jim DeRogatis recounts how it began

Jim DeRogatis at his Northwest Side home with boxes of his research on R. Kelly, about whom he first reported in 2000, when he was pop music critic for the Sun-Times. (Ashlee Rezin / Sun-Times)

Much of the prosecution’s case during the first two weeks of R. Kelly’s second federal trial has focused on a 26-minute, 39-second videotape that allegedly shows the R&B superstar having sexual contact with a then-14-year-old girl.

In 2008, the same tape was at the center of the Cook County case against Kelly, which, unlike the current proceedings, focused on one tape and one victim, whom prosecutors now call Jane.