R. Kelly's attorneys granted slight delay to opening statements of sex abuse trial

Record ID: 1625602

  • Title: R. Kelly's attorneys granted slight delay to opening statements of sex abuse trial
  • Date: 8th July 2021
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 8, 2021) (REUTERS) SUPPORTER OF R. KELLY, MICHELLE DAVIS, OUTSIDE OF COURTHOUSE, WEARING AN R. KELLY PIN AND HOLDING SHIRT READING (English): "FREE R. KELLY!" (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUPPORTER OF R. KELLY, MICHELLE DAVIS, SAYING: "We're here to support Robert with all the charges that he has stacked up on him. We're definitely here to support him. There's so much information on accusers and everything else. So I think that he deserves to have a fair trial. They have been really railroading him in a lot of areas. So we're here for the support and to make sure that he gets his due process." DAVIS ENTERING COURTHOUSE VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF COURTHOUSE
  • Embargoed: 22nd July 2021 21:28
  • Keywords: R. Kelly child pornography kidnapping sexual abuse
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA003EKZEPMV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: R. Kelly's attorneys were granted a week and a half delay from an August 9 trial to August 18 by a federal judge on Thursday (July 8), after Kelly fired two of his defense lawyers and hired a new attorney, exposing deep rifts in the singer's legal defense team ahead of his sex abuse trial in New York.
    U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn delayed opening statements to August 18. Donnelly said jury selection would start on August 9 as originally scheduled but would delay opening statements to August 18 instead of right after the jury is selected.
    Last month, Kelly fired Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard, leaving him with defense lawyers Nicole Becker and Thomas Farinella and later in June hired New York attorney Deveraux Leon Cannick.
    Kelly's attorneys asked to delay the trial so they could adequately prepare and have more time with their client.
    Known for such hits as "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Bump N' Grind," Kelly, 54, has faced sexual abuse allegations dating back more than two decades, including in the January 2019 Lifetime documentary "Surviving R. Kelly."
    The Grammy Award-winning singer has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges in cases filed in New York, Illinois and Minnesota, and has been held without bail for nearly two years.
    Brooklyn prosecutors accused Kelly of running a criminal scheme in which women and underage girls were recruited to have sexual activity with him.
    The Chicago case includes charges that Kelly engaged in sex acts with five minors, and used threats to keep victims quiet.
    (Production: Andrew Hofstetter, Roselle Chen)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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