San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Judge orders bail of $1 million for R. Kelly in sex abuse case
CHICAGO — A judge gave R. Kelly a chance Saturday to go free while the R&B star awaits trial on charges that he sexually abused four people, including three minors.
Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. set bond at $1 million bond, meaning that the 52-year-old Grammy winner must post $100,000 to be released or remain behind bars until he is tried on the allegations, which date back as far as 1998 and span more than a decade.
Kelly turned himself in late Friday and spent a night in jail before being taken to the courthouse. His attorney, Steve Greenberg, said Kelly is not a flight risk and told the judge, “Contrary to the song, Mr. Kelly doesn’t like to fly.” One of Kelly’s best-known hits is “I Believe I Can Fly.”
The bond equals $250,000 for each of the four people Kelly is charged with abusing, the judge said.
The judge called the allegations “disturbing” as the singersongwriter looked down at the floor while the judge spoke.
Kelly’s DNA was found in semen on one of the accuser’s shirts, and semen found on one worn by another was submitted for DNA testing, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said.
Kelly met one of the accusers when she was celebrating her 16th birthday party at a restaurant and another when he signed an autograph during his 2008 trial on child pornography charges, Foxx said.
Prosecutors said they have a video of another accuser that shows R. Kelly having sex with her when she was 14.
A fourth accuser told prosecutors that she thought she was going to braid R. Kelly’s hair, but that he instead tried to force her to perform oral sex. The woman, who was 24 at the time, was able to pull away, but Kelly ejaculated on her and spit in her face, Foxx said.
After the hearing, Greenberg told reporters that he thinks all four of the accusers are lying. “He did not force anyone to have sex. He’s a rock star. He doesn’t have to have nonconsensual sex,” Greenberg said.
Kelly has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves. He is charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.
Robert Kelly, who was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct. He broke into the R&B scene in 1993 with his first solo album, “12 Play.”
He rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side and has retained a sizable following. Kelly has written numerous hits for himself and other artists, including Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.
Each count of the new charges carries up to seven years in prison. If Kelly is convicted on all 10 counts, a judge could decide that the sentences run one after the other — making it possible for him to receive up to 70 years behind bars. Probation is also an option under the statute.