NEW YORK — R. Kelly is a “predator” who demanded absolute fealty from the many women and underage girls he dominated in a two-decade racketeering scheme, a federal prosecutor said on Wednesday as the R&B star’s sex abuse trial began.
Mr. Kelly’s defense team countered that the government’s case had “gaps,” and that the 54-year-old singer’s accusers were unhappy former fans who wanted to get back at him because their relationships didn’t work out.
In her opening statement, Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the Brooklyn jury of seven men and five women that Mr. Kelly used “lies, manipulation, threats and physical abuse” to control his victims, and often filmed their sexual encounters.
The indictment describes Mr. Kelly’s alleged dealings with six women and girls, four underage at the time. They include the late singer Aaliyah, who was 15 when she married Kelly.
“This case is about a predator,” Ms. Melendez said. “This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot.”
Mr. Kelly’s lawyer Nicole Blank Becker rejected prosecutors’ claims, saying the accusers’ relationships with Mr. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, were consensual. “They knew exactly what they were getting into,” Ms. Becker said.
Mr. Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose songs include “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind,” has pleaded not guilty to a nine-count indictment that includes accusations of bribery and extortion. He has strongly denied wrongdoing.
Prosecutors say Mr. Kelly used an entourage of managers, bodyguards and others to recruit victims, and threatened to blackmail them if they fled.
The first prosecution witness, Jerhonda Pace, 28, testified she had once been a fan of Kelly. She also said she had his name tattooed on her left breast, at his suggestion. But Ms. Pace said their relationship became difficult, with Kelly demanding she call him “Daddy” and get his permission to go to the bathroom, and ended after he choked her until she passed out.
Known as Jane Doe No. 4 in the indictment, Ms. Pace said Mr. Kelly knew she was 16 when they had intercourse because she had shown him identification, but told her to pretend she was 19. “He told me he was going to train me to please him sexually,” Ms. Pace, now married and soon expecting her fifth child, testified.
Ms. Pace also testified that Kelly gave her herpes, while prosecutors said DNA evidence from a shirt she wore matched his.
Ms. Pace’s testimony will continue on Thursday. Other female accusers and at least one male accuser are expected to testify for the government also, some using only their first names. — Reuters