Kelly Acquitted!

R. Kelly was acquitted of all charges Friday after less than a day of deliberations in his child pornography trial, ending a six-year ordeal for the R&B superstar. Kelly dabbed his face with a handkerchief and hugged each of his four attorneys after the verdict — not guilty on all 14 counts — was read. The Grammy award-winning singer had faced 15 years in prison if convicted. Minutes later, surrounded by bodyguards, he left the courthouse without comment. Dozens of fans screamed and cheered as he climbed into a waiting SUV. It reminds me of the Boondocks episode “The Trial of R Kelly”, which took place over two years ago. The outcome was exactly the same, with Kelly getting off without a hitch.

I have to say I am not surprised. I made a 1.00 bet with my cousin in Milwaukee that Kelly would be acquitted, and so I called to collect. After she asked me not to rub it in, she stated that she realized he wouldn't be convicted when the young lady, who was thirteen at the time of the alleged incident, was denying that it was her on the video. I believe she was probably paid (handsomely) not to divulge any information about her encounter with R.

Now you might say that I am talking like he is guilty. Well, duh! Of course he is! I don't care what the jury found, R Kelly is guilty as charged. As we have all learned over the years, prosecuting a celebrity in the country is damn near impossible. Offhand I cannot remember a celebrity being sent to jail since Mike Tyson in the early 1990’s. With all the adult women in the world, I hope R Kelly comes out of the closet (pun intended) and stop fooling around with underaged girls.

The month long trial centered on whether Kelly was the man who appears on a sexually graphic, 27-minute videotape at the heart of the case, and whether a female who also appears on it was underage. Over seven days presenting their case, prosecutors called 22 witnesses, including several childhood friends of the alleged victim and four of her relatives who identified her as the female on the video.

In just two days, Kelly’s lawyers called 12 witnesses. They included three relatives of the alleged victim who testified they did not recognize her as the female on the tape. Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Shauna Boliker said she believed the female on the tape was a victim, not a prostitute as the defense had contended.

The star prosecution witness, Lisa Van Allen, became teary eyed as she told jurors she engaged in several three-way sexual encounters with Kelly and the alleged victim, including once on a basketball court. Kelly videotaped the trysts, she said. Van Allen also claimed Kelly used to carry a duffel bag stuffed full of his homemade sex tapes. The defense called several witnesses in a bid to discredit Van Allen, accusing her of trying to extort money from Kelly. Under cross-examination, Van Allen admitted she once stole Kelly’s $20,000 diamond-studded watch from a hotel.