R. Kelly found Not Guilty

CHICAGO — After seven and a half hours of deliberation over the course of less than two days, the jury in R. Kelly's child-pornography trial reached a decision: not guilty on all counts.

"Robert has said all along that he believes in the system, and he believes in God, and when the facts would be presented in court, he would be cleared," Kelly spokesman Allan Mayer said afterward. "He did not expect it to take six years. This has been a terrible ordeal for him and his family. He wants to move forward and put it behind him. He thanks his fans, and he thanks God. He'll have more to say very soon, but right now, he needs time to be with his family."




THE R. KELLY TRIAL: IN BRIEF

Status of Trial
R. Kelly was found not guilty on all counts of child pornography on June 13.

The Charges
Kelly faced 14 counts of child pornography — seven for directing, seven for producing.

What Was at Stake?
Kelly faced 15 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

For full coverage of the ongoing R. Kelly case, see The R. Kelly Trial Reports.

Before the verdict was read at 2 p.m. CT, Judge Vincent Gaughan warned the court, "I don't want any outbursts," saying anyone who did disrupt the reading would be held in direct contempt of court and go to jail immediately.

While listening to the verdict, R. Kelly cried softly as his lawyers held his hands and he shuddered with a sigh of relief. Kelly then slapped his attorney Sam Adam Jr. on the back and gave him a bear hug. As he hugged attorney Ed Genson, he rested his head on his shoulder and cried. Kelly supporters in the court gallery, including his business manager, also shed tears.

Early verdicts are usually considered better for the prosecution than the defense, but this was the exception. Kelly was indicted just over six years ago for videotaping himself engaged in sexual acts with a then-underage girl, his goddaughter. A copy of a videotape was delivered to the Chicago Sun-Times in February 2002, which reporter Jim DeRogatis then handed over to the police. Kelly denied he was the man on the tape, claiming it must be a forgery. The jury agreed, after hearing testimony and evidence that still left a reasonable doubt as to the identities of both parties on the tape.

Some of that doubt came from the questionable motives of the witnesses who came forward to identify the people on the tape, including the girl's aunt Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards, whom the singer's lawyers described as bitter over a bad business deal with the singer, and former Kelly mistress Lisa Van Allen, whom defense attorneys accused of attempting to extort $300,000 from them in order not to testify. Kelly's team said there had been a conspiracy afoot to create a fake sex tape, and these women were suspect.

Van Allen's testimony was especially scrutinized by the jury, who, on the first day of deliberations, asked for a complete transcript of what she said under direct and cross-examination.

For the last six years, Kelly's movements have been monitored by the court — any time he wanted to tour, shoot a music video or attend an awards show outside the jurisdiction, he had to seek permission and check in with a probation officer daily while out of town. On top of that, he was required to attend nearly every hearing held in this case. Kelly faced up to 15 years of prison and a fine of up to $100,000.