A Chicago jury deliberated about seven hours before returning not guilty verdicts on all 14 counts of child pornography in the trial of R&B singer R. Kelly. The Grammy award winning musician cried and hugged his attorneys after hearing the verdicts announced.The acquittal ends a six-year ordeal for Kelly that began when someone sent a videotape to a Chicago newspaper that allegedly showed him having sex with a girl the prosecution claimed was 13 years old.
Jurors in the trial, who spoke to reporters after the verdicts were announced, said that prosecutors did not convince them that the female in the video was who they claimed she was, a 13-year-old victim.
A Weakness in the Case
"You want to be 100 percent sure it's Kelly and the victim," one juror said. "What we had wasn't enough."
During the trial, the prosecution presented witnesses that testified that the female in the videotape was the alleged victim, but the defense presented witnesses who said that it was not her.
The girl the prosecution claims is in the tape, who is now 23 years old, says it's not her. She did not testify during the trial. Some jurors said not having the victim testify was a weakness in the case.
See Also:
R&B Star R. Kelly Acquitted in Child Porn Case
Earlier Articles:
Reporter Ordered to Testify at R. Kelly Trial
Jurors Shown Sex Tape in R. Kelly Trial
R. Kelly's Child Porn Trial Begins
Background:
R. Kelly's Arrest and Mug Shot
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Photo: Mug Shot
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