R. Kelly Witness Says She Was Forced To Write Accusatory Letters To Her Parents
Editor’s Note: The following article may be disturbing for some readers.
During the sixth day of R. Kelly’s New York federal trial, the embattled singer’s defense team continued cross-examining the second accuser about her letters in which she defended Kelly and accused her parents of using her “vagina” to extract money from him.
On Wednesday (August 25), Kelly’s defense attorney Deveraux Cannick questioned the witness, asking her to read letters she wrote to members of her family while she lived with Kelly as one of his girlfriends in Chicago.
“You decided to join in to get some money,” according to one letter she read aloud and addressed to her father, USA Today reports. “None of you gave interviews for free.” In another letter, she accused her mother of telling Kelly that since he was sleeping with her daughter, "you need to send $10,000 to this bank account every month.”
In a letter to her brother, the witness named actions their parents allegedly had her do, including telling her to lie about her age to him and to police.
“They were trying to set him up,” the letter says. “Brother, I’m telling you the truth, I cannot make this up."
She added: “My own parents were using me and my vagina to get money. ...They were going to destroy R. Kelly’s career.”
When prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes, however, redirected questioning about the letters, the witness claimed Kelly told her to write the letters and insisted they were intended to protect Kelly from potential charges.
“The defendant,” the witness answered to a question over who told her to write the letters.
As to why? "To protect him in a trial like this?” Geddes asked. “Yes,” she said.
This is the second week of R. Kelly’s New York trial. He is being accused of multiple crimes, including sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, kidnapping, forced labor, and sexual trafficking across state lines. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
