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R. Kelly is back in court to answer to new allegations
Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, who is serving a 30-year sentence for sex offenses, is back in court this week facing further charges.
Jury selection began on Monday in the latest case, which is being tried in the 55-year-old´s hometown of Chicago.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in New York in September.
Also facing charges are Kelly´s former manager, Derrel McDavid, and an ex-employee, Milton “June” Brown. The trial is expected to last around four weeks.
As jury selection began, Kelly´s attorney Jennifer Bonjean filed a motion asking that anyone who watched a documentary called “Surviving R. Kelly” be disqualified from service.
Kelly also faces prosecution in two other state jurisdictions.
The jury of 12 regular members and six alternates was sworn in by U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who questioned more than 100 potential jurors on Monday and Tuesday, nearly half of whom he dismissed for “cause.”
The makeup of the regular jury is: Four white women, four Black women, two white men, and two Black men. They include a former attorney who is now a stay-at-home mom and a library worker who said she knew about the case from the headlines in the newspapers she puts on the shelf.
Another female juror, a retiree whose two children are lawyers, said during questioning that she’d never seen the high-profile docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly,” but that her brother had told her “If I watched (it) I’d probably get kicked off” the jury.
Many of those on the panel said they’d heard of Kelly and the accusations against him before, but could remain fair. Some even said they’d seen parts of “Surviving R. Kelly” but had formed no opinion about Kelly himself.
One of the Black women selected for the jury said she thinks she’d seen all 12 episodes of the series, but insisted it would not affect her ability to be fair — a comment that prompted some audible snickers from a few Kelly supporters watching from the courtroom gallery on Monday.
The final panel was selected after prosecutors and attorneys for Kelly and his two-co-defendants used their peremptory strikes to further pare down the jury pool.
Things got testy when Kelly’s lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, successfully challenged three of the prosecution’s strikes of Black jurors, alleging they were based solely on race.
She said prosecutors were displaying a pattern against Black jurors that was “quite disturbing,” though Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeannice Appenteng said they had reasons to remove the jurors unrelated to race.
On the flip side, nearly every single peremptory strike by the defense involving the regular jury makeup was of a white person — 12 in all. The defense also moved to strike one Asian woman and one Black woman. Prosecutors, however, did not raise any challenges based on that racial breakdown.
The panelists were sworn in just before 6 p.m.
“It’s been a long day,” Leinenweber said from the bench after jurors were excused for the night. “Have a nice evening. I’m going to have a martini in a short while.”
Kelly, 55, was charged with child pornography and obstruction of justice in a 2019 indictment alleging he conspired with others to rig his Cook County trial years ago by paying off a teenage girl whom he sexually assaulted on a now-infamous videotape.
Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, according to the indictment, schemed to buy back incriminating sex tapes that had been taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
The trial is expected to last about four weeks.
A total of 41 potential jurors were questioned Tuesday. Among those excused was a woman who suffered from a dizzy spell just as Leinenweber was asking her how long she had lived in her current address. Emergency responders were summoned to the building, and the woman was dismissed from jury duty.
Throughout the selection process, Leinenweber’s questions for each potential juror focused on what they might have seen or heard about Kelly in the news, and whether they’ve watched the Lifetime docuseries that detailed many of the sexual misconduct allegations that are part of the indictment.
Seated at the defense table, Kelly took an active part in the selection process, putting headphones on to listen to sidebar conversations and whispering often with his attorneys.
The singer also visibly reacted to many prospective jurors’ answers, including one woman, a retired teacher, who had him laughing out loud when she proudly said she’d filled out the questionnaire “all by myself.”
Attorneys for McDavid, meanwhile, filed a motion late Monday arguing that the indictment should be thrown out altogether, saying prosecutors waited an “inexcusable and unnecessary” amount of time to bring the charges.
In the decades since the alleged conduct occurred, the filing states, key witnesses who could help McDavid’s case have died. And important evidence related to Kelly’s 2008 trial in Cook County Circuit Court were destroyed after the standard seven years had passed, McDavid’s attorneys argue.
Federal authorities have known about the central videotape for years, and about at least one agreement to try to take back another incriminating tape, the filing alleges.
“(Prosecutors) did nothing while being fully aware (of) the allegations and possessing evidence for decades. As a result, they let substantial pieces of evidence get lost to time,” the filing states.
Leinenweber said Tuesday he would defer ruling on the request.
Potential jurors’ identities are being shielded from the public during the jury selection, and very little was revealed about them as Leinenweber asked each person to clarify answers they gave on a written questionnaire.
Headlines
NAPTIP to establish command in FCT to tackle violence, SGBV cases
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking Persons (NAPTIP) says it is proposing the establishment of a command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to tackle cases of Violence against Persons (VAP).
The Director-General of the agency, Mrs Binta-Adamu Bello, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during the 2024 stakeholder’s coordination meeting on implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 and corresponding state laws.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was supported by Ford Foundation to commemorate the first day of the 2024 Global 16 Days of Activism, an annual campaign to challenge violence against women and girls.
The NAPTIP boss said that the establishment of the FCT command would further solidify the agency’s commitment toward eradicating social menace, especially with the issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the nation’s capital.
According to the NAPTIP boss, it is expected that the command will enhance quicker response to SGBV cases, improve coordination among stakeholders, provide specialised support services for survivors and strengthen investigation and prosecution.
She said that the command would serve as a model for other states and strengthen stakeholders’ collective efforts to eradicate SGBV within the FCT, while inviting the stakeholders’ input and expertise in facilitating the move.
She said “I have strong conviction that we will leave here with renewed vision toward eradicating the ills associated with violence against persons and in turn, make the country safer and more habitable.
“It is gratifying to note that this meeting is holding on the first day of the Global 16 Days of Activism, which is an annual campaign to challenge violence against women and girls.
“The theme for this year is “Towards Beijing +30: Unite to End Violence against Women and Girls”, which resonates with the 30th anniversary review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and platform for action.
“At this point, I must commend the efforts of Ford Foundation for graciously supporting this meeting under the project “Strengthening Government Approach in Preventing and Responding SGBV.”
She reiterated NAPTIP’s commitment to work with states, the mandate Secretary of the Women Affairs Secretariat of the FCT and Civil Society Organisations to implement laws that abhor
Violence against women and girls.
Mrs Tolulola Odugbesan, the acting Director, VAP Department, NAPTIP, said that the coordination meeting was an opportunity for stakeholders to connect, proffer guidance, reflect on concerns, review successes and identify gaps.
She added that the meeting was also to discuss challenges, assess the level and effectiveness of intervention efforts and proffer recommendations and far-reaching strategies associated with the implementation of the VAPP Act 2015.
Headlines
Plateau to organise free medical care for 200,000 residents
The Plateau Government says it has concluded arrangements to organise free medical care for 200,000 residents.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Cletus Shukuk, made the disclosure on Monday in Jos at the official launch of “Project 10 Million; Know Your Number, Control Your Number.”
Shukuk explained that the free medical care was basically screening for hypertension and diabetes, which were non-communicable diseases.
The commissioner stated that the programme was a comprehensive intervention strategically in line with the national campaign of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum to combat the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
According to him, the project would provide immediate counselling and referral and would also link newly diagnosed patients to treatment facilities.
Shurkuk further said that the increased public awareness would be carried out on hypertension and diabetes.
“The project would support the creation of a hypertension and diabetes register and, in turn, improve data collection, which would enhance health care policies and planning.
“The screening will be conducted in the 17 local government areas and will be done in selected primary and secondary health care facilities.
“I wish to call on the people of the state to avail themselves for the screening exercise to enable them to know their blood pressure and blood sugar level status,” he advised.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Helen Mutfwang, the wife of the governor of Plateau, was made the ambassador of the “project 10 million.”
Headlines
Minimum wage: LG boss lauds Oyebanji for approving N70,000 for workers
Mrs Clara Bamisile, the Chairperson, Oye Local Government Area in Ekiti State has commended Gov. Biodun Oyebanji for approving the N70,000 minimum wage for workers.
Bamisile gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Oye-Ekiti on Monday.
She described the governor’s decision as the right step in the right direction towards reducing financial burden for civil servants and making cost of living affordable for them.
According to her, Oyebanji has proved to all Ekiti indigenes that he is a good and compassionate leader, who cares for the wellbeing of his people.
“I want to commend our amiable governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, for approving the N70, 000 minimum wage for civil servants in Ekiti.
“He has proved to all Ekiti indigenes that he is worthy, passionate, caring and a good leader, who is ready to make his people happy as we approach yuletide.
“It is a testimony that our governor is ready to make cost of living affordable for our people, and he will not relent to do more if given a chance.”
She urged both Ekiti indigenes and residents to consider Oyebanji for a second term in office to continue his good works.
Bamisile enjoined the civil servants to be diligent in their various departments to justify the salary increment
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