Years in the making, R. Kelly sex abuse trial gets underway

By TOM HAYS and JIM MUSTIAN
August 18, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — R&B star R. Kelly is a predator who lured girls, boys and young women with his fame and dominated them physically, sexually and psychologically, a prosecutor said Wednesday, while a defense lawyer warned jurors they’ll have to sift through lies from accusers with agendas to find the truth.

The differing perspectives came as the long-anticipated trial began unfolding in a Brooklyn courtroom where several accusers were scheduled to testify in the next month about the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer whose career has been derailed by charges that have left him jailed as he goes broke.

Jerhonda Pace, the first accuser to testify, told jurors Wednesday that she was a 16-year-old virgin and a member of Kelly’s fan club when he invited her to his mansion, where he ordered her to take off her clothing.

“He asked me to continue to tell everyone I was 19 and act like I was 21,” she said. Pace said Kelly said “that’s good” when she revealed her virginity and she recalled that he said he wanted to “train her” sexually.

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