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U.S. singer R. Kelly was found guilty Wednesday in Chicago of several counts of child pornography and child molestation possession. He was already sentenced to 30 years in prison in June for racketeering, molestation, and sex trafficking, for which he is in jail in New York.
The 1990s R&B star, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly and who is now 55, was found guilty of 6 of the 13 charges against him, three related to child pornography and three linked to persuading minors to have sex with them.
R. Kelly is on suicide watch in a New York prison for his benefit after he was convicted in a six-week trial in which dozens of people testified against him.
Throughout the New York trial, the prosecution called 45 witnesses to the stand and presented hundreds of exhibits, including written, videotaped, and audiotaped evidence of the abuse to which the defendant, with the help of his employees and associates, subjected his victims.
Prosecutors had asked the judge for a sentence of over 25 years and a fine of between $50,000 and $250,000 (ultimately left at $100,000) in light of the seriousness of the crimes, the need to serve as a deterrent, and the need to protect the public from further crimes by the defendant.
The defense had asked that it not exceed ten years, citing the defendant’s “traumatic childhood, including evidence of a history of sexual abuse by family and non-family members.”
A dozen witnesses claimed during the trial to have been abused by R. Kelly, while others detailed a continuing pattern of abuse.
The woman described on the stand a charismatic celebrity who frequently singled out young victims attending his concerts, whom he sometimes sexually assaulted backstage minutes after the event.
Testimony also revealed Kelly’s prolonged abuse of his partners, beating them and forcing them to call him “daddy.”
He also controlled how they dressed, when they could use the bathroom or eat, how they should interact with other men, or whether they could leave the rooms of the residences or hotels where he kept them.
In addition, they uncovered that R. Kelly used an entire network of employees to assist him in his efforts to target, isolate and intimidate young girls.
