The trial for R&B singer R. Kelly on child pornography charges finally will begin next month in Chicago, a Cook County judge said Wednesday.
It has been more than five years since the 40-year-old Grammy-winning musician was charged with multiple counts of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl prosecutors have said could be as young as 13.
Judge Vincent Gaughan said jury selection will begin Sept. 17 in the trial, which should last about a month.
Kelly arrived at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse on Wednesday morning with his lawyers to discuss the jury questionnaire, which contains 136 questions, Assistant State’s Atty. Shauna Boliker said. She would not comment on the nature of the questions, which potential jurors will be required to answer.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Gaughan held an afternoon meeting with court personnel and local reporters to discuss the logistics of the trial, which is expected to garner international media attention. The court has already gotten inquiries from MTV and outlets in Japan, staff said.
Even with a looming trial, Kelly has continued to record music and has been nominated for awards.
The announcement of the trial date comes two months after the singer released his latest album, “Double Up,” which is the fifth most popular R&B/hip-hop album on the Billboard charts. The song “Same Girl,” a duet with Usher in which he mentions Chicago, is ranked 26th on Billboard’s “top 100 singles” chart.
Gaughan decided last summer to allow the media and the public to view a videotape at the upcoming trial that allegedly shows Kelly having sex with the minor. At the time, Gaughan called the tape “the whole crux and linchpin of the case.”
Credit: Chicago Tribune
The judge said Wednesday there would be a “tremendous amount of press” at the trial and compared logistical plans to the trial of Michael Jackson in California two years ago.
Gaughan said the court got a chance to practice how to manage the media in recent months during the high-profile murder trial, over which he presided, of Juan Luna in the 1993 slayings of seven people at a Palatine Brown’s Chicken and Pasta restaurant.