A lawyer for R&B star R. Kelly asked the judge to provide free court transcripts at the hearing on Tuesday because the singer has no money.
Devereaux Cannick, one of Kelly’s lawyers, said the musician went bankrupt because he had been unable to work for two years and asked for free transcripts.
“His funds are exhausted,” Cannick said of Kelly.
Kelly is waiting for the sex trafficking trial to officially begin next week and has been in jail since he was arrested on multiple federal charges in 2019. In addition to hearings in New York, Kelly is also facing sex-related charges in Illinois and Minnesota. He has pleaded not guilty.
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The New York District Judge Ann M. Donnelly made a series of rulings to narrow the scope of evidence that can be shown to jurors. She mainly made the ruling for the prosecutor, but said she would exclude some evidence because it was too similar to other parts of the case, and was intended to show that Kelly engaged in extortion in pursuit of women and girls he might abuse.
The Grammy Award-winning R&B singer with multiple platinum sales was accused of leading a company of managers, bodyguards and other employees who helped him recruit women and girls for sex, sometimes in concerts and other venues.He has pleaded For extortion, bribery, Coercion, inducement and sex trafficking.
Cannick told Judge Kelly that Robert Sylvester Kelly was born and needed to measure new clothes because he had gained a lot of weight in prison.
“This will be a long trial,” Donnelly said after the prosecutor outlined their plan to call numerous witnesses, including women who said they were sexually abused, physically abused, and forced to do things for Kelly.
The judge said that witnesses alleging abuse can only testify to the jurors in their names, and the jurors will sit in the gallery instead of the jury box because of the reconfiguration of the courts related to coronavirus restrictions.
Donnelly also said that she would normally not allow inquiries aimed at revealing whether these women have received mental health treatment. She said she would not let the juror be told that a witness had served as an exotic dancer after she said she was abused for many years.
The judge said that what may also be excluded from the trial is any testimony about religious beliefs, or that some women have been instructed to have sex with others.
The prospective jurors have filled out the questionnaire to ensure that they are free of prejudices that would affect their judgment. They will start answering questions next Monday.
Kelly, known for his works including hits from 1996 I believe I can fly And cult classics Trapped in the closet, A multi-part story about sexual betrayal and conspiracy.
A New York judge ruled last week that after 12 news organizations asked to allow six reporters to enter the courtroom, the public and the media would be barred from entering the courtroom because watching a part of the courtroom on two monitors overflowing the room is not enough and may not constitute Hearing in court. She cited the restrictions of the coronavirus.
When leaving the court on Tuesday, Kelly’s lawyer, Cannick, was asked whether closing the court could be a ground for an appeal if his client was convicted.
He smiled and said: “If there is a conviction, we will use every mistake made in the appeal.”
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via The Associated Press, Pool, File
