R. Kelly Trial: A Second Woman Testifies That She Had Underage Sex With The Singer
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A second woman who alleges that she was underage when she experienced sexual contact with R&B singer R. Kelly testified on Monday (Aug. 29), revealing explicit details of what she estimated to be more than 80 encounters.
Identified in court under the pseudonym “Pauline,” the now 37-year-old woman said she was best friends with “Jane,” the pseudonym for the first accuser who testified last week that she was the 14-year-old girl in the infamous pornographic recording of her sex acts with Kelly, the Chicago Tribune
Kelly, 55, is charged with 13 counts of production of child pornography, conspiracy to produce child pornography and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Pauline told the jury that one day, at age 14, she went to Kelly’s home looking for Jane, whom Pauline found naked and kneeling in front of the singer. Pauline recalled that Kelly told her that he was looking for bruises on her best friend’s body because she hurt herself.
Not long after that incident, Pauline testified that she was regularly having sexual contact with Kelly and Jane at the same time. Pauline also alleged that she joined Kelly and another underaged girl, whose pseudonym is “Brittany,” for threesomes that he videotaped.
Pauline admitted to the jury that she lied to authorities in the past about the encounters. During a 2001 Chicago police investigation, she identified Jane in a photo only because Pauline’s mother was present and would have recognized Jane. But she later lied to a Cook County grand jury by saying she never observed Kelly and Jane having sex.
Pauline admitted to maintaining a relationship with Kelly as an adult. She explained to the jurors that she has feelings for Kelly. “I loved him and I still love him,” the Tribune quoted her testimony. “… In a weird way, I know you might judge me, but it’s like best friend meets boyfriend meets dad.”
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On cross-examination, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean pointed to what she said were inconsistencies in Pauline’s testimony.
Pauline testified under the prosecutor’s questioning that she was 20 when she called Kelly, posing as Brittany, to ask him for money. She said Kelly called it extortion but she was just trying to get his attention after not hearing from him for a lengthy period.
Under cross-exam, Pauline admitted that she didn’t mention the alleged underaged sexual encounters when asking Kelly for $35,000. “... It seems if you really want to get someone’s attention you might mention ‘oh, we had an illicit relationship as a minor,’” the newspaper quoted Bonjean.
Kelly’s attorney questioned Pauline about her inconsistent estimates over the years about how many times she had threesomes with Kelly and Jane.
Bonjean also focused on Pauline’s testimony that Kelly would give her alcohol before sex, specifically the sky-blue colored liquer, Hpnotiq. The defense attorney noted that Hpnotiq was not released until 2002, when Pauline turned 18.
On Aug. 18, after years of silence, Jane came forward to testify against Kelly. Jane told jurors she first met Kelly in the late 1990s while still in junior high school. She went to Kelly’s Chicago recording studio with her aunt, who was a professional singer working with Kelly. At age 13, she asked Kelly to be her godfather because she considered him a mentor. At 14, they were having oral sex which progressed to intercourse when the girl was 15.
Even after the alleged sexual abuse, Jane said she cared for the Grammy award-winning singer and sometimes lived with him in her 20s. When her parents confronted Kelly in the early 2000s about the videos, Jane said she asked them not to tell the police because she loved him.
The Tribune said the prosecution is expected to rest its case against Kelly this week, after more accusers give testimony.
This trial is the latest chapter in Kelly’s ongoing legal troubles. He was sentenced in June to 30 years in prison after a Brooklyn jury convicted him in September of racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
