R Kelly case: Defense team's motion for acquittal denied in Chicago child pornography trial
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The case against R Kelly moved ahead Thursday after a federal judge denied motions for the case against the R&B star and his co-defendants to be thrown out.
Their attorneys argued the government did not prove its case on the 13 counts, ranging from creating child pornography to trying to derail Cook County prosecution against the Kelly for child pornography.
However, the judge ruled that in the ten days of testimony, federal prosecutors did offer enough evidence for jurors to make a decision on their own about the charges.
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With that, the trial proceeds and the defense began calling witnesses.
The judge informed the defendants of their rights to testify on their own behalves or remain silent, before asking each defendant if they would testify.
Kelly responded to the judge saying, "I do not wish to testify."
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Milton Brown also chose not to testify.
Before the judge could finish the instruction to Derrel McDavid, McDavid told the judge that he is opting to testify.
Defense attorneys called several witnesses Thursday while Kelly's lead attorney argues some witnesses are not credible, claiming that they lied about their ages.
A Homeland Security special agent also testified that the woman using the name of "Pauline," who previously testified, would have been 18 during an encounter with Kelly.
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Merry Green, the founder of the Black Women's Expo in Chicago, testified that Kelly appeared at the 2000 Expo and not in 1999. Previously a woman using the name "Tracy" testified she met Kelly at the 1999 Expo when she would have been underage.
The trial will resume Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday weekend and is expected to wrap up next week. Kelly remains in custody as he was convicted in a New York case for sex trafficking and racketeering.
