R. Kelly found not guilty

Brett Singer — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:51:00 GMT

So. It's time to admit that sometimes, I am wrong.

For example:

"Google? Feh. That stock will never go above $100."

"Hairspray: The Musical? Who the hell is going to want to see that?"

I also think I would have predicted that R. Kelly would be found guilty in his child pornography case.

And once again, I missed the mark. Kelly not only believes he can fly; he will fly, right out of the courtroom. The "dramatic verdict...appeared to stun even his own highly-paid lawyers." When even the attorneys defending you look surprised, that's not a good sign.

Now, this doesn't mean he's a good guy, or even that he didn't do it. One juror said, “Neither side proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt...that’s why we had to go for not guilty.” The jury did not hear about Kelly's prior history with underage women, including "Kelly’s secret marriage to the late R&B star Aaliyah when she was just 15." Nice.

So what was the lack of proof? Apparently the man in the video has a mole on his back, and R. doesn't. Also, according to The AV Club, Kelly's goddaughter denies that she is on the tape, and defense attorneys (you know, the ones that were surprised by the not guilty verdict) also "noted that Kelly's goddaughter is a 'sweet, nice young lady,' and certainly wouldn't have accepted cash for sex, as the girl in the tape is shown doing."

image: Chicago Sun-Times

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R. Kelly case jury selection begins; girl he filmed was his goddaughter

Brett Singer — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

R. Kelly might believe he can fly, but first he's going to have to convince a jury that he's innocent of child pornography charges. (See? I could write for TMZ.)

The songwriter and R&B star, known for classics such as "I Believe I Can Fly" and inexplicable train-wrecks like "Trapped in the Closet," (see below for videos) has been charged with "videotaping a girl 'whom he knew or reasonably should have known to be under the age of 18' in a variety of sex acts some time between January 1, 1998, and October 1, 2000."

Adding to intense sleazery of the case is that the "alleged victim, who is now 23, has been identified as Kelly's goddaughter." Doing the math, this means that the girl may have been as young as 13 in the first video.

Ewww!

Jury selection has begun at the Criminal Court in Chicago, and this piece in the Sun-Times describes how the choice of jurors is being handled. The reporters make a point to give the race of each potential juror, although in some cases that doesn't appear to be relevant." One (white) man said, "I have two little kids…Child pornography is about as low as it gets." Maybe I missed something, but (apologies to Michael Jackson) does it really matter if he's black or white? Another woman, identified as, "an African-American woman whose husband is a Baptist pastor," says that she lives in the same town as Kelly but hadn't heard anything about the case. Years ago, during the Rodney King trial, while lawyers were looking for people who hadn't heard anything about the case, Bill Maher said that this meant they were looking for people, "you wouldn't even talk to at a cocktail party." I don't care what race she is, how exactly did she manage to not hear anything about a case as sensational as this one?

The charges are all alleged, so let's not jump to conclusions. Well, let me put it this way – I don't think they'd pick me to serve on this particular jury.

Here's the thing: if memory serves, there's a videotape that shows R. having sex with the girl. They used to sell it on street corners all over Manhattan. So if you can I.D. him and her, what exactly is his defense? "She told me she was almost 18?" And if it's true that she is his goddaughter, should that factor into his punishment?

image: Chicago Sun-Times

Videos of Chapter 15 of "Trapped in the Closet" (not work-safe, lots of cussin'), and "I Believe I Can Fly" (which, as far as I know, does not contain any foul language at all.)

Chapter 15-Trapped in the Closet

I Believe I Can Fly