Not Guilty: R. Kelly Acquitted in Child Pornography Trial
“Try to charge me, but I’m not guilty,” R. Kelly sings in his hit song with Jay-Z, “Guilty Until Proven Innocent.” And that’s exactly what the verdict was in his child pornography trial.
On Friday, a Chicago jury of 12 (nine men, three women) acquitted Kelly on all 14 counts of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl. If he was convicted, he faced a minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 15 years. The trial comes to an end six years after the R&B singer was first charged in 2002.
Find out the latest developments in the verdict below.
UPDATE: CNN reports that R. Kelly dabbed his face with a handkerchief and hugged each of his four attorneys after the verdict was read. He left the courthouse minutes later without comment. Dozens of fans screamed and cheered as he climbed into a waiting SUV.
UPDATE 2: TMZ.com reports that five of the twelve jurors disclosed that they couldn’t reach a verdict because the alleged victim hadn’t testified and refused to cooperate. Even though they believed it was Kelly on the tape, they could not reach a guilty verdict because they said there was “not enough evidence to prosecute.” As recently as Friday morning, the vote was split nine to three for a not guilty verdict.
Wow! Reactions?