R&B Singer R. Kelly Found Not Guilty, Acquitted Of All Charges

R&B singer/producer was acquitted on Friday, June 13, 2008 on a short lived trial for 14 counts of child pornography which comes from charges dating back from 2002 after allegedly appearing on a graphic videotape with a girl stated to be 13 years-old.

R&B singer/producer R. Kelly born Robert Kelly was acquitted on Friday, June 13, 2008 after a short lived trial on 14 counts of child pornography dating back from 2002.

The news came Friday morning after jurors deliberated on Thursday afternoon and continued until about 6 p.m which consisted of a nine-man, three-woman panel. The jurors watched the graphic 27 minute tape during the beginning of the trial and the end of the trial to help them follow the case more closely and to help determine their decisions that were based on this sex tape, the witnesses and arguments.

Although dozens of witnesses testified throughout the trial, their testimony seemed to have not been enough to convict R. Kelly. Even one person testified that the girl on the tape was his 13 year-old goddaughter including other family members of the alleged victim. However, the alleged victim now 23 years-old denied that it was her in the tape to the grand jury.

As previously reported on MemphisRap.com, an expert testified on the authenticity of the tape and noted that the mole of the back of the man which was somewhat similar to R. Kelly’s mole which disappeared and reappeared as a video glitch in the tape which according to the analysts expert was due to the tape being duplicated so many times.

“The truth be told, there is no mole … that means one thing,” Kelly’s attorney, Sam Adam Jr. told jurors, then paused and lowered his voice. “It ain’t him. And if it ain’t him, you can’t convict.”

The Defense claim that the entire thing is about money. One of the star witness’ Lisa Van Allen testified that she had multiple three-way sexual encounters with Kelly and the alleged victim in the case, but a private investigator for Kelly testified that he believes Allen and her fiance, Yul Brown, were trying to get money out of the R&B singer when they claimed a publisher had offered them a $300,000 deal for a book about Kelly.

While deliberating, jurors sent a note to Judge Vincent Gaughan asking for a transcript of the entire trial from Lisa Van Allen. The judge sent a note back to the jury saying the transcripts weren’t yet available and to “please continue to deliberate,” which they did until they adjourned.

If convicted, the R&B singer would have faced up to 15 years in prison and would have had to register as a sex offender which would have followed him for life.