R. Kelly’s Ex-Wife Aaliyah Could’ve Been Star Witness Against Disgraced Singer; Late Musician Also a Victim?
R. Kelly's ex-wife could have played an important role in the ongoing trial against the infamous singer.
A new set of charges related to R. Kelly's marriage to Aaliyah surfaced in his federal sex crimes trial. These formerly uncharged crimes play an essential role in the ongoing legal battle.
However, his defense attorney said that the charges could not be discussed since she is already dead.
News outlets revealed that R. Kelly was involved in a bribery crime when he paid a government official to create a fake ID for the late musician in 1994. After that transaction, the then-27-year-old R. Kelly married the minor Aaliyah, who was only 15 at that time.
The prosecutors said the singer first met her when she was 12 and allegedly began having regular intercourse with her after that.
In Wednesday's opening statements, assistant US attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said that getting the fake ID was part of R. Kelly's plan to silence Aaliyah. The late musician reportedly told her then-husband she was pregnant.
The prosecutors added that R. Kelly believed Aaliyah could not file any criminal allegations of sexual misconduct against him if they were married. As a result, the singer paid a local official for a fake ID.
He then married her in a Chicago hotel suite in the middle of the night. One year later, they annulled the marriage before Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash in 2001.
Aaliyah Not Really a Victim?
Following the statement, R. Kelly's representative, Nicole Blank Becker, argued that Aaliyah's friends and family could testify. However, the alleged victim herself could not prove anything since she was already dead.
The lawyer added that there was no evidence Aaliyah got pregnant in the first place. She also said that the jury should be skeptical about the fake ID accusation.
"If Mr. Kelly was involved in a crime in 1994 would we be here today?" she argued, but Judge Ann Donnelly stopped her and advised her to discuss the evidence only.
The current charges surrounding R. Kelly and Aaliyah's marriage were only a tiny part of the current indictment. Per the report, his employees benefited from his music career and helped him lure girls into having intercourse with him.
