Jury chosen in R. Kelly child porn trial
16.05.2008 18:02
Arts
- Source: cbc.ca
 Singer R. Kelly, right, leaves with a bodyguard after the first day of jury selection on May 9 in his child pornography trial at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse in Chicago. (Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press)A Baptist preacher and criminal justice student are among 12 jurors who have been selected for the trial of rapper R. Kelly, accused of having sex with a girl who may have been as young as 13. Now that the jurors and their four alternatives have been chosen, the case in a Chicago court can finally proceed on May 20 after a six-year delay. The 41-year-old singer, who was videotaped having sex, was indicted on child pornography charges in June 2002 after the tape surfaced. The Grammy-winning artist, whose hit singles include I Believe I Can Fly, Ignition, Trapped in the Closet and Bump N' Grind, faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Prosecutors say the tape was made sometime between Jan. 1, 1998 and Nov.1, 2000 and the alleged victim was 13 at the time. That woman, who is now 23, claims she is not the person on the video. In fact, Kelly's lawyers have not admitted that it's their client in the video either. Race was an issue during jury selection. Defence lawyers said state prosecutors were trying to prevent African Americans from getting on the jury. Among the 12 jurors are four African Americans: a man in his 40s who works as a chef; a man in his 50s who describes himself as a Christian; a female teacher's aide and a middle-aged woman who is married to a pastor and resides in the neighbourhood of Olympia Fields, where Kelly lives. "I don't look at people like that," Kelly's head defence lawyer, Edward Genson, said this week. "It's all one colour to me." The trial has been delayed because of several roadblocks: Kelly's lawyers argued over when the video was made, then the trial judge had an accident in 2006 and needed time to recuperate, and in February 2007, the singer's appendix burst just when he was to return to court. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksSinger R. Kelly to go on trial for child pornSinger R. Kelly to go on trial for child pornMore Music HeadlinesRegina Symphony crowns its first 'Idol'00The Regina Symphony Orchestra has held its own version of Canadian Idol and crowned its first-ever Symphony Singing Star, who will perform with the RSO next year.Jury chosen in R. Kelly child porn trial00A Baptist preacher and criminal justice student are among 12 jurors who have been selected for the trial of rapper R. Kelly, accused of having sex with a girl who may have been as young as 13. Canadian singer Shania Twain splitting from music-producer husband00Award-winning Canadian pop star Shania Twain is splitting from her music-producer husband Robert (Mutt) Lange, a representative for the singer revealed Thursday.Thriller, Joni Mitchell album make the cut for U.S. recording registry00Michael Jackson's iconic pop album Thriller, the original 1956 My Fair Lady cast album and Joni Mitchell's For the Roses are among the latest additions to the U.S. National Recording Registry, the Library of Congress announced Wednesday.No charges to be laid over Amy Winehouse video00British police will not lay charges against singer Amy Winehouse in connection with video footage that seemed to show her smoking crack cocaine, a police source said on Wednesday.More Arts HeadlinesOttawa rallies for portrait gallery on deadline day00More than 100 people rallied in Ottawa to show they want the Portrait Gallery of Canada to be in the nation's capital. The crowd gathered two hours before the deadline for cities across Canada to submit bids for the gallery.Regina Symphony crowns its first 'Idol'00The Regina Symphony Orchestra has held its own version of Canadian Idol and crowned its first-ever Symphony Singing Star, who will perform with the RSO next year.Jury chosen in R. Kelly child porn trial00A Baptist preacher and criminal justice student are among 12 jurors who have been selected for the trial of rapper R. Kelly, accused of having sex with a girl who may have been as young as 13. Comedian Russell Peters named Toronto's tourism envoy00Officials in Toronto are hoping humour will have tourists laughing and flocking to the city after naming comedian Russell Peters as the city's first new global ambassador for tourism. Mad magazine pioneer Will Elder dies00William Elder, the illustrator who pioneered the visual style for iconic humour title Mad magazine, has died at the age of 86. Arts FeaturesBreaking sound barriersVictoriaville festival celebrates 25 years Disc of the weekDeath Cab for Cutie's Narrow StairsHot pursuitAn appreciation of the most memorable chase scenes in filmWhat lies beneathAfghan war rugs weave tales of the country’s recent past Designed to shockThe 10 most controversial videos of all timeMaximum overdriveThe live-action kids flick Speed Racer reaches a dangerous velocityPeople who read this also read …
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