Prosecutors Fight To Keep R. Kelly Fans Out Of Jury
Posted by Dan Haggerty on 05.12.2008
Lawyers have their hands full in jury selection...
Attorneys in R. Kelly's child pornography trial are expected to begin questioning 150 potential jurors today (May 12), and it's unlikely any of his fans will be chosen to hear the allegations against one of urban music's biggest stars. The 41-year-old hitmaker has pleaded not guilty to charges that he videotaped himself having sex with a girl as young as 13. The selection of the 16 jurors, four of them alternates, will be key for both prosecutors and defense attorneys, said Steve Cron, a defense lawyer from Santa Monica, Calif., who has practiced for 35 years. "In a case where a celebrity has good and bad public images, it's critical," said Cron, who has no link to the Kelly case. It's unlikely the defense could pack the jury with R. Kelly fans, because "the prosecution should be successful in excluding them," he said.
When the trial gets underway, prosecutors will face a daunting challenge: The girl believed to be on the videotape, who is now 23, says it wasn't her. And Kelly's lawyers haven't conceded it's Kelly in the video. Prosecutors say the videotape was made between Jan. 1, 1998, and Nov. 1 2000, and that the girl who appears in it was born in September 1984. Kelly was indicted on pornography charges June 5, 2002, after the tape surfaced. If jurors find the artist guilty, he could go to prison for up to 15 years.
On the first day of the trial on Friday, Cook County Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan addressed the potential jurors. "As you know, this is a high-profile case," he said, according to court transcripts. "And if you don't know, God love you. You're probably the only person on earth that doesn't."
