Prosecutors Rest Case At R Kelly’s Federal Trial

Federal prosecutors have rested their case-in-chief against R. Kelly, after calling some two dozen witnesses against the disgraced R&B singer and his two co-defendants, reports The Chicago Tribune.

Their announcement came around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, during the third week of trial. Judge Harry Leinenweber adjourned the proceedings until Thursday morning, when defense attorneys can begin calling their witnesses.

In a surprising move, prosecutors closed after calling only four of the five Kelly accusers who they said jurors would hear from during the trial.

The fourth woman took the stand Tuesday morning.

“Nia” was 15 when she approached Kelly for an autograph at a mall in Atlanta, she testified. Kelly gave her his signature – and also wrote his phone number on the paper, she said.

They began to have phone conversations, and during one, she told him she was 15, she said. He said he wanted her to come see one of his shows, and arranged for her to travel to Minnesota for a concert, she testified.

A limousine picked her up at her mother’s apartment in Atlanta – and on the way to the airport they stopped at a gas station so she could pick up a single rose to give to Kelly.

She went to the concert in Minnesota, and Kelly came to her hotel room the next day, she said.

Kelly hugged her and kissed her on the lips in greeting, she said. She asked if they could take a photo together, but Kelly declined.

Kelly instructed Nia to take off her clothes, walk around, and then sit next to him on the bed, she testified.

She complied, and Kelly kissed her, asked her if she was a virgin, and began to perform a sex act on himself, she testified.

When he was finished, he left the room in a hurry, she testified.

Nia sat very still as she testified, keeping her gaze on the prosecutor asking her questions. Her testimony began quietly and nervously – she had to be asked to move closer to the microphone – but she seemed to grow more comfortable as the questioning continued.

In 2002, Nia filed a lawsuit against Kelly with the allegations of underage sexual contact, and Kelly agreed to pay $500,000, she testified.

Kelly, 55, is charged with 13 counts of production of child pornography, conspiracy to produce child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Also on trial are former Kelly associates Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, who, according to the indictment, schemed to buy back incriminating sex tapes that had been taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.