The federal judge ruling over R. Kelly’s Chicago trial on accusations of child pornography and obstruction of justice decreed Monday that viewers of a scathing documentary series about the reviled musician will not be barred from serving as jurors.
A lawyer for Kelly, whose given name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, had requested that the judge to exclude from the jury any and everyone who had watched the six-part Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” calling it “inflammatory.”
The request was denied by U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber for the Northern District of Illinois, who stated that the show broadcasted years back and it would be unreasonable to bar anyone from serving if they had only seen a portion of the series.
According to juror questionnaires, nine people said they had seen at least some of the documentary series, while 70 said they hadn’t.
The decision came on the first day of jury selection in a case involving numerous women who claim Kelly, 55, enticed them into sexual activities while they were minors. According to court papers, at least two individuals are expected to give testimony.
