Last year, in the abuse trial against R. Kelly, a jury found the defendant guilty of all counts. Today the court will announce the sentence against the musician who sexually exploited minors. Prosecutors are asking for a long prison sentence.
In the abuse trial against former pop superstar R. Kelly, the sentence is scheduled to be announced today at around 4:30 p.m. local time in a court in New York. A jury found the musician guilty on all nine charges last year, including sexual exploitation of minors, kidnapping and bribery. Kelly always denied the allegations. He had not testified himself, but followed the trial in the courtroom.
Prosecutors are asking for more than 25 years in prison for the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer, who has been in prison since his arrest in the summer of 2019. Among other things, in view of "the seriousness of the offences, the need for prevention and protection of the population from further crimes by the accused", such a punishment is appropriate, it said. In addition, a fine of between $50,000 and $250,000 is required.
The musician's lawyers are demanding a significantly lower sentence and have already announced that they intend to appeal the verdict. Judge Ann Donnelly's sentencing had previously been postponed several times due to various court formalities.
For around six weeks last year, the prosecution and defense had laid out the abuse allegations against Kelly from several decades in detail, disassembled them and presented their arguments. Dozens of witnesses spoke up and hundreds of pieces of evidence were viewed.
The process is - after cases like those of film producer Harvey Weinstein and TV comedian Bill Cosby - another much-noticed legal reappraisal of the MeToo era. Representatives of the MeToo movement had celebrated the verdict against Kelly.
The first allegations against the musician, born Robert Sylvester Kelly in Chicago in 1967, were made around 25 years ago. In 2008 he was tried for possession of images of serious sexual abuse of children - and was acquitted. The music giant seemed unassailable on his pop throne - with more than 50 million albums sold, several Grammys and other awards, he was one of the most successful musicians of the late 20th century.
But at the latest when the sensational documentary "Surviving R. Kelly" summarized the allegations in 2019, the singer became more and more lonely. Stars distanced themselves from him, as well as radio stations, streaming services and then his music label RCA, which belongs to Sony Music.
After the sentencing in New York, Kelly is threatened with further legal disputes: There are also charges against the musician in the US states of Illinois and Minnesota. A trial in Chicago is scheduled to begin in mid-August.
