NEW YORK (Reuters) – Jurors resumed deliberations on Monday in the sex trafficking trial of R. Kelly, asking for transcripts of testimony from two of the R&B singer’s former employees and clarification of the law in Illinois, where some of his alleged sexual abuses occurred.
Jurors requested testimony from the weeks-long trial, including that of Tom Arnold, a former studio manager who said Kelly would regularly fine him if he did not follow the singer’s rules.
Arnold testified that Kelly docked his final, $1,500 weekly paycheck in 2011 after he was able to find only a male guide, not the female guide Kelly wanted, for a VIP outing at Disney World.
Known for the 1996 Grammy-winning smash “I Believe I Can Fly,” Kelly, 54, has pleaded not guilty to a racketeering charge and eight counts of violating a federal law making it illegal to transport people across state lines for prostitution.
Prosecutors tried to portray Kelly as a predator who over a quarter century used his fame and charisma to lure women and underage girls into his sphere, and then subject his victims to violent physical and sexual abuse, some of which he recorded.
Defense lawyers countered that Kelly was generous with those around him, and said his accusers are liars looking for a payday through book contracts or the media after their relationships with Kelly or hoped-for music careers never took off.
Deliberations by the seven-man, five-woman jury began on Friday afternoon. The trial began on Aug. 18.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Howard Goller)
