The fate of R. Kelly is currently in the hands of a jury at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, as deliberation began its first full day on Wednesday morning. The jury is deciding whether the disgraced singer will serve even more time in federal prison for child pornography charges.
Closing arguments for the trial concluded on Tuesday with deliberation beginning in part in the afternoon. The jury was dismissed around 4:40 PM.
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The jury will be considering more than just Kelly’s fate as well. The singer’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and former employee, Milton Brown are also on trial for their involvement. They stand accused of fixing Kelly’s 2008 trial for state child porn charges by allegedly intimidating and paying off witnesses.
“This man did some beautiful things with his music. And he should not be stripped of every bit of humanity,” Kelly’s defense attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, argued on Tuesday. “I ask more importantly and to remember each count counts and take the time you need…Mr. Kelly deserves it no matter what you think of him.”
“He took advantage of his position, his fame, and her youth,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Pozolo argued on Monday. “He took advantage for his own pleasure.”
Kelly has already been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a separate case in New York in which he was found guilty.
[Via]