R. Kelly Sentenced to Prison in Sex Trafficking Case
Content warning: This story discusses child sexual abuse.
R. Kelly‘s trial in Chicago has reached a conclusion.
On Sept. 14, the singer (born Robert Kelly) was found guilty on six charges relating to sex crimes and not guilty on seven counts, according to NBC News.
Prior to the verdict, Kelly faced 13 counts in total: four counts of producing child porn, one count of conspiring to receiving child porn, two counts of receiving child porn, five counts of enticing minors for sex and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The jury found him guilty of three charges of sexual exploitation of children, related to the production of child pornography. However, he was found not guilty of attempting to obstruct a prior investigation.
After the verdict, Kelly’s lawyer told reporters that the case was overcharged. She said his team is not celebrating a win entirely but are grateful the jury looked at each count. She said she begged the jury to remember that he is a human being with a difficult childhood.
Throughout the four-week courtroom proceeding, prosecutors alleged that Kelly had obstructed the law in rigging his previous child porn case, which ultimately ended with his 2008 acquittal. The latest legal battle saw testimonies from four women accusing the R&B artist of sexually abusing them when they were children, including one who identified herself as the person from the video at the center of Kelly’s past trial.
