Jury Gets Case In The R Kelly Federal Trial

Jurors in R. Kelly’s Chicago federal trial were excused Tuesday evening after deliberating less than four hours without reaching a verdict, and are expected to return Wednesday morning to continue their discussions.

The Chicago Tribune reports the panel began deliberating about 1 p.m. Tuesday after more than eight hours of closing arguments over two days.

Kelly, 55, faces an indictment charging him with 13 counts of producing and receiving child pornography, enticing minors to engage in criminal sexual activity, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Also charged are former Kelly associates Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, who are accused in an alleged scheme to buy back incriminating sex tapes that had been taken from Kelly’s collection and to hide years of alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.

Before deliberations began, Kelly’s attorney urged the jury in her closing argument Tuesday to put aside any preconceived notions they may have about the singer and see “the humanity” in him when deliberating charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice.

Jennifer Bonjean began her final presentation to the jury by asking them to treat Kelly like a “John Doe,” as some of his accusers have been, not what they may have heard about him in the news or at the office.

“We are asking really the impossible of you, right? To put that all aside and decide this case based only on what was put into evidence,” Bonjean said.

Bonjean told the jury that much of the “unflattering evidence” that has been presented about Kelly over the four-week trial has absolutely nothing to do with the charges, including accusations in lawsuits brought by an attorney with an “industry of suing R. Kelly,” and mention of sex tapes involving backup dancers, a baseball player’s wife “and even a man.”

Bonjean said prosecutors are “banking” that the jury will rely on “labels like sex predator” instead of the actual evidence in the case, which was built on the testimony of liars and criminals and accusations that “are a quarter-century old.”