R. Kelly’s Accusations Of Trial-Fixing Set To See Closing Arguments

R. Kelly was known as the “King of R&B” before his music career came crashing down. Kelly was found guilty of countless sex crimes and given 30 years in jail as a punishment. Following jury selection, the federal trial for the R&B artist on accusations of trial-fixing, child pornography, and luring minors for sex will continue with Kelly and two co-defendants. The closing arguments are now set for today.

Derrell McDavid, a Kelly co-defendant, finished his three days on the witness just before the defense took a late Friday afternoon break. He claimed for nearly two days that he had believed Kelly when Kelly denied abusing minors, but that during the trial that began last month, he began to have reservations about Kelly’s credibility.

Kelly and McDavid are accused of intimidating witnesses and hiding video evidence in order to manipulate Kelly’s 2008 state child pornography trial, which Kelly won. Both of them are accused of child pornography. Milton Brown, a co-defendant with Kelly, is charged with receiving child porn.

A rebuttal of the defense case typically gives prosecutors the opportunity to summon witnesses. According to AP News, Judge Harry Leinenweber responded that there would be no rebuttal. The case will proceed directly to closing arguments today morning after they explained that they needed more time to prepare.

Of the three defendants, only McDavid gave testimony in his own defense. In June, Kelly received a 30-year prison term following a separate federal trial in New York. Even after sexual misconduct charges started to surface in the 1990s, Kelly continued to sell millions of CDs. Kelly is most known for his big hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and for sex-infused songs like “Bump n’ Grind.” Stay tuned to Thirsty for the latest news and updates.

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