CHICAGO — Prosecutors in R. Kelly’s federal child pornography and conspiracy trial began closing arguments Monday by reminding jurors of their strongest evidence against the singer: the multiple videos they viewed showing Kelly abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter, “Jane.”
“Kelly and his team, they did their level best ... to cover up the fact that Robert Kelly, R. Kelly the R&B superstar, is actually a sexual predator. They did their best, but in the end, they failed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Pozolo said. “We are here today because those tapes that they concealed for 20 years are no longer their secret. You have seen the tapes. You have seen what Kelly did to Jane.”
Meanwhile, the attorney for Kelly’s co-defendant, Derrel McDavid, told jurors in his closing argument that the prosecution was riddled with reasonable doubt and based on untrustworthy witnesses, and that McDavid had no way of knowing whether Kelly was really sexually abusing minors.
