R. Kelly Found Guilty on Six Counts in Child Pornography Trial

A jury found disgraced R&B singer/songwriter R. Kelly guilty on six counts and acquitted him of seven on Wednesday

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 22: Singer R. Kelly appears in court for a hearing to request that he be allowed to travel to Dubai at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on March 22, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. R. Kelly appeared before a judge to request permission to travel to Dubai to perform in concerts. (Photo by E. Jason Wambsgans-Pool/Getty Images)
R. Kelly. Photo: Jason Wambsgans-Pool/Getty

A jury found disgraced R&B singer/songwriter and convicted sex offender R. Kelly guilty on six counts, including child pornography charges, on Wednesday in a Chicago courtroom.

However, he was acquitted of seven additional counts: one child pornography count, one count of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, as well as four conspiracy counts, WGN9 reports.

Kelly, 55, stood accused of 13 counts of producing and receiving child pornography, enticing minors to engage in criminal sexual activity, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, the Chicago Tribune reports.

In June, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, after a jury found him guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, during a six-week trial in 2021 that included testimony from 45 witnesses in a Brooklyn, N.Y., courtroom.

Charged alongside Kelly in the Chicago case were two of his former associates: Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, after the pair allegedly tried to buy back Kelly's sex tapes and conceal sexual abuse, per the Tribune.

For more on this story, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

Both McDavid and Brown were acquitted of the charges against them.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

According to the Associated Press, Kelly's attorney Jennifer Bonjean called for a mistrial twice Monday, arguing that her client was denied a fair trial.

"The presumption of innocence has been abolished for him," Bonjean said, per the AP.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber denied her request.

As the trial continued Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Pozolo addressed the courtroom in her closing arguments, and called out Kelly's history of sex abuse.

"Robert Kelly abused many girls over many years," Pozolo said, according to the outlet. "He committed horrible crimes against children. … All these years later, the hidden side of Robert Kelly has come out."

"What R. Kelly wanted was to have sex with young girls," U.S. District Attorney Jeannice Appenteng said, according to the Tribune. "And what the people around him wanted … they wanted to help their boss, including helping him get away with it."

Two days of deliberations spilled over into Wednesday with the jury sending Leinenweber three questions regarding claims provided by a witness and the wording of question, the outlet reports.

A sentencing date for Kelly has not been set at this time.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

Related Articles