R. Kelly Case Gets Surprise Witness

The R. Kelly trial adjourned early today after Kelly’s attorney, Sam Adam Sr., said he received a call from a mystery man who claimed to have information that could help the defense. Adam said:

"We never knew about this witness until approximately 9 o’clock this morning, when the witness called us."

Adam told Judge Vincent Gaughan the defense attorneys would interview the man into the early morning hours Thursday. The mystery witness was said to be flying to Chicago Wednesday night from another state on Wednesday night.

Gaughan said to the attorneys in court, while the jury was present:

"I have no idea what’s going on. It might be the impeachment of the witness (for prosecutors)."

At least the judge is open minded, which is good for Kelly because his life hangs in the balance. This case is better than a soap opera.

R. Kelly Identified in Tape by Employee

Lindsey Perryman, who worked as a personal assistant for R. Kelly from 2000 to 2007, took the stand in court and said she believes it IS R. Kelly in the video tape with an underaged girl. "The image I saw looked exactly like Mr. Kelly," she said, adding she was "shocked" and "disturbed" by the video.

Tjada Burnett, a family friend of the alleged victim, was more certain, saying she recognized the female by her "cheeks, her nose, her facial structure," and said she could have been about 12 or 13 years old at the time the tape was made.

Today the other woman in the video tape will identify Kelly and the victim in her testimony. The woman will also confirm the girl who participated in the threesome was underage.

Kelly is going to jail. He might as well start getting his appeal ready right now.

R. Kelly Identified in Video by Four Witnesses

R. Kelly was identified in court today as the man who was in the video tape having sex with an underage girl. The underage girl, who denied being in the video and is now 23 years-old, was also identified as being in video, and lying about not being in the video with Kelly. The underage girl was said to have been 13 years-old when the video was made.

The underage girl in the video was identified by a friend, an aunt, an uncle, and her father, Peter Thomas, who testified that the alleged victim’s involvement in the video was the talk of their neighborhood. The friend of the alleged victim, Simha Jamison (24), also identified kelly as being the man in the video.

The defense claimed the family and friend only gave the testimony to get money out of Kelly.

Riiiight. Weak defense. I believe Kelly will go to jail, and he faces up to 15 years, but I’ve been wrong before.

R. Kelly Could Get Off by a Mole

Jurors in the R. Kelly trial saw the now famous video tape. His defense attorney contends the man in the tape is not R. Kelly, because Kelly has a mole just above his waist on his back, and the man in the tape does not have a mole.

It has been six years since the tape was made, and it is very possible that a mole could have easily grown in that spot, but the prosecutor still has to prove it. The defense says the mole has been there since childhood, so the defense would need a picture, or medical records to prove the mole wasn’t there until recently.

Another problem is that the alleged victim will not be called by prosecutors, because she is expected to say she is not the girl in the tape. The defense could be considering calling her instead, but it’s doubtful because that would leave the girl open to cross examination by the prosecutor. It’s too risky for the defense.

A second woman in the tape is expected to testify that R. Kelly is in the tape, and the girl who denies being in the tape, is also in the tape. The whole case seems to hinge on the testimony of one witness who was there.

Kelly could walk free.

R. Kelly Jury Dismissed

It took six years for the R. Kelly case to be brought to court, and it’s already off to a rocky start. The jury was dismissed today after one juror was removed. WBBM reports:

The juror who was replaced told Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan that sitting on the panel would leave her unable to pay her bills. Asked whether her financial worries would cause her to not pay attention during the trial, the juror said, "Very much so."

When the jury reconvenes they might get to see the now famous video tape showing Kelly having a threesome with two women, one of whom was underage.