R. Kelly has been convicted of six of the 13 charges he faced during a Chicago federal trial, CBS News reports. The former R&B singer was found guilty on three child pornography counts, as well as three counts of enticing minors for sex. He was acquitted of seven other charges, which include obstruction of justice, and conspiracy on Wednesday (Sept. 13).
Co-defendants Derrell McDavid and Milton “June” Brown were also on trial for their alleged role in helping Kelly commit the crimes, however they were acquitted of all charges. “What R. Kelly wanted was to have sex with young girls,” said Assistant U.S Attorney Jeannice Appenteng, suggesting that evidence made it clear that Kelly sexually abused girls. She also reiterated that Kelly’s co-defendants helped him to cover it up. “The defendants are guilty of each count in the indictment,” she continued. “Hold them accountable.”
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Over the course of four weeks, jurors heard testimonies from over 30 witnesses and were exposed to clips from three sex tapes that prosecutors say show Kelly abusing his ex-goddaughter who was 14 years old at the time. As previously reported by REVOLT, prosecutor Jason Julie said that Kelly “made videotapes of himself having sex with children.”
“They’re going to tell you what happened to them,” he continued. “The videos are difficult to watch… but it’s important for you all to watch those videos to understand what happened.” During the case, Kelly’s ex-goddaughter who was referred to as “Jane” took the stand to testify, explaining why she did not stand the first trial, which occurred nearly 14 years ago.
“I was afraid something bad would happen to Robert,” Jane told the jury. “I was protecting him.” Earlier this summer, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges in a federal court in New York. He still faces additional trials in Illinois and Minnesota.