R.Kelly’s ongoing sexual abuse trial is not only stressful for the victims and the culprit, but for all parties involved. During Monday’s hearing, a young, female juror was reportedly excused from the court by the judge after suffering a panic attack during a break in proceedings. According to reports, the unidentified, white woman who works for a public library, was excused by Judge Harry Leinenweber, hours into closing arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Before replacing the woman with a White man juror, the U.S. District Judge shared with the courts, “I’ve been advised she said she can’t go on one minute more.” Similar to the young woman, the unidentified male has also not seen the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary. Last month, the singer lost his bid to exclude jurors who have seen the Lifetime docuseries, which details years of sexual abuse allegations against Kelly. His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, filed a motion to the courts, saying, “Allowing an individual to sit on this jury who has seen ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ is no different than allowing a juror to sit on the jury who was permitted to preview the discovery in this case.”
However, Judge Leinenweber denied Kelly’s request and opted for a mixed jury. R. Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after he was found guilty in New York last year on charges of federal racketeering and sex trafficking. The “Ignition” singer and his former business manager, Derrel McDavid are currently on trial for conspiring with him to intimidate and bribe witnesses and to cover up evidence in a 2008 criminal trial on child pornography charges in Cook County.
Depending on how long the jury takes to decide on a verdict, Kelly and McDavid will soon know their fate. More details to come.
[Via]