R.Kelly; Judge Denies Another Attempt at Freedom

For years, R&B superstar R.Kelly has fought against his legal dramas and as they continue to boil over, his third attempt to be released from jail due to the Coronavirus outbreak was denied by a U.S district judge on Friday May 15. Echoing the Weinstein trial and the #MeToo movement, lobbyists have established their own #MuteRKelly to limit his musical exposure as the impending trials loom.

NUCCIO DINUZZO/GETTY IMAGES.

He is currently being housed at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correction Centre, where there are currently 18 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 amongst jail staff, with 138 recovered. The 53 year old is facing a string of sex crime charges across New York, Chicago and Minnesota relating to sexual allegations throughout his career as an R&B artist.

He argued that he is pre-diabetic, however the judge quashed his third attempt by outlining that the likelihood does not guarantee his risk of Coronavirus, and that he remains an extreme flight risk given the allegations of him previously intimidating witnesses in his trials.

His first trial for the current charges is scheduled for September, where he will plead not guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault and abuse against four women.

The charges relating to trial in New York include accusations of using his fame to recruit women to sexually exploit for underage activity, and racketeering charges of kidnapping underage girls for sexual exploitation and forced labor; the jury is to be empanelled in September.

In Chicago, he faces federal charges in October relating to videotaping himself engaging in sexual activity with underage girls, paying money to silence and intimidate witnesses. Finally, he has been charged with engaging an underage girl for prostitution in Minnesota.

However, due to the pandemic it is unknown when these trials will commence.

The former girlfriend of R. Kelly (born Robert), has found comfort in “the irony” of him being locked in a cell, comparing it to her time where she and other women were allegedly locked in rooms for days. Details of the allegations were outlined in the Netflix documentary Surviving R.Kelly, from uncovering his marriage to singer Aaliyah when she was just 15 and he 27, with a number of women also claiming to be involved in his “sex cult”.

in 1996, Tiffany Hawkins had a three year relationship with the singer beginning when she was 15 whilst he was 24, later seeking damages for the “personal distress and physical damage” he caused her (to which she was partially successful). In 2001, an intern at Epic Records claimed she was treated as a “sexual object” as a 17 year old, controlling every aspect of her life.

Then came the allegations of underage sex tapes. Montina Woods sued R.Kelly in 2002 for unknowingly filming the pair engaging in sexual relations whilst she was underage, where he was able to settle the case with a large sum for a non-disclosure. Patrice Jones was also successful in suing Kelly for impregnating her when she was 17, forcing her to abortion after forcing her to engage in sexual intercourse 20-30 times.

The most famous charges were the 21 filed in 2002, accusing the defendant of producing child pornography containing urination, oral sex and intercourse relating to one victim, who was just 14 at the time. The trial took six years to finalise, to which the jury was unable to determine beyond reasonable doubt that the young girl in the tape was a minor.

Things became stranger in 2017, where rumours of a “sex cult” began to swirl. Women seeking a music career were allegedly living in his home after having their phones confiscated, controlling what they eat, wear, when they sleep and wash. Footage of a 21 year old Jocelyn Savage was broadcast across TMZ explaining she was safe, despite pleas from her family.

Countless women throughout his career have come forward with sexual allegations, in particular a former partner who sued him for deliberately infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease, and a longterm friend who admitted he was asked to scan for “girls that looked young” at parties they frequently attended. The mountains of accusations continue to rise,the #MuteRKelly campaign continued to influence radio stations ceasing to broadcast his music, cancelled concerts and the singer finally being removed from his record label.

Throughout this, he cheekily would continue to release songs titled “I Admit” and album “Trapped in the Closet”. For now, he has an extended period of time to prepare for his upcoming trials including that involving inviting a 17 year old fan asking for an autograph in 2001 to visit his hotel room and strip for him for a humble fee of $200.

25 years of allegations will perhaps simmer towards the end of the year, with the singer set to aggressively fight all charges. I bet he is missing those fur coats in the dreary walls of the jail cell.