Jury selection completed in Chicago federal trial of R&B singer R. Kelly; opening statements set for Wednesday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Jury selection in R. Kelly's second federal trial wrapped up on Tuesday, after two days of questioning for prospective jurors, and opening statements are expected to begin Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber swore in the panel of 12 jurors and 6 alternates Tuesday evening, and said opening statements would happen Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors said they would need approximately one hour for their opening statement, while Kelly's defense team said they need about 45 minutes. Attorneys for Kelly's former business manager and another associate, who are being tried alongside him, said they need about an hour total.
Kelly, 55, is facing child pornography and obstruction of justice charges in a 13-count federal indictment. Federal prosecutors say Kelly and his associates conspired to rig his child pornography trial in Cook County in 2008, by bribing or otherwise intimidating witnesses, including a teenage girl whom he allegedly sexually assaulted on videotape. Kelly was acquitted at that trial.
The tape from the 2008 trial will again be at the center of his trial on obstruction of justice charges, and the victim, now in her 30s, is expected to testify against him.
Already sentenced to 30 years in prison for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges in federal court in New York, Kelly would face a minimum of 10 more years behind bars if convicted of the charges in his hometown of Chicago, with the potential for decades more.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys spent approximately 12 hours over two days on Monday and Tuesday winnowing through a pool of 125 potential jurors, with the judge questioning them about their familiarity with the case to make sure the jury could be impartial.
The second day of jury selection faced a bit of a delay, when the first potential juror being questioned for the day needed medical attention.
Leinenweber has ruled the jury will remain anonymous, and in court potential jurors have been identified only with numbers.
Many questions for potential jurors focused on their familiarity with the case, and those who might have seen the Lifetime documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly," which detailed the various sexual abuse and assault allegations against Kelly.
That 11-part series aired over three nights in January of 2019. "Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning" premiered the following January with another five episodes. It's also currently available to stream.
Kelly's legal team argued that anyone who has seen that "inflammatory" docuseries will not have the ability to remain impartial, but the judge in the case rejected a defense motion to dismiss any potential juror who may have seen any part of the series. Instead, the judge said potential jurors' fairness will be determined individually, depending on how much of the series they might have seen, and how long ago.
Some potential jurors were excused after saying they don't believe they could be impartial because of what they already know about the case. Others have been excused for health, transportation, and compensation hardships. One potential juror referred to social anxiety as a hardship and was let go, with the very first juror interviewed by the judge on Tuesday excused after having a medical issue during questioning, which required a brief recess. Another was excused later in the day due to a medical emergency with their child.
The trial is expected to last about four weeks.