R. Kelly’s federal trial will kick off Aug. 1
CHICAGO » R. Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago is set to kick off Aug. 1 after a judge on Tuesday denied a request to postpone it by three months.
In a motion filed Monday, Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, asked for the delay based on a number of factors, including the complexity of the charges, the enormous amount of evidence that has been turned over, and her relatively late entry into the hot-button case.
She also wrote in the motion there may be issues with some of the purported sex tapes at the heart of the case, including one uncovered “under nefarious circumstances” by now-convicted celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti, who turned it over to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in early 2019.
During a court hearing Tuesday, Bonjean said her client “is looking down the barrel of a life sentence” and that going to trial without having pursued all avenues of defense could violate his rights to a fair proceeding.
“It’s too much to ask,”
Bonjean said during the 15-minute telephone hearing, which was plagued by frequent interruptions from Kelly’s fans. “There is so much at stake. I can only do what I can do.”
But U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber denied the request, saying the nearly 3-year-old case had seen too many delays already.
Any further postponement would have also be complicated by continuing COVID-19 protocols at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, as well as the issue of Kelly’s two co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, who have previously said they were ready for trial.
Jury selection in Kelly’s case is set to begin Aug. 1.
After Leinenweber made his ruling, many of the hundreds of people listening
on the court’s call-in line erupted in shouts and curses. “Oh my God, are you serious?” one women said. “You can’t wait three more months?”