R. Kelly’s lawyers have objected to the government’s attempt to introduce new evidence against him at his upcoming trial, which will start on August 9 in New York.
R. Kelly is facing sexual assault allegations made by 13 Jane Doe”s and two John Doe’s.
Last week, prosecutors submitted a motion to include evidence claiming the disgraced singer had a sexual relationship with an underage male he met at McDonald’s in 2006.
The government also says R. Kelly forced him to have sex with a minor female and that he videotaped the encounter for his viewing pleasure.
R. Kelly claims his constitutional right to a fair trial will be violated if the new accusations are used against him as evidence.
R. Kelly’s lawyers say they need time to review 3,500 new pieces of evidence the government produced, to provide an adequate defense for the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer.
“Given the nearness of trial, the defense is not given ample amount of time to ensure an adequate opportunity to assess the evidence, [or] the purpose for which the evidence is offered,” his lawyer Thomas Farinella said.
R. Kelly’s lawyers also maintain the questionnaires sent to potential jurors don’t contain questions about their opinions on same-sex relationships. They claim the topic would have been ripe for questioning, and the failure to include such questions violate R. Kelly’s constitutional right to a fair trial.
“Despite possessing this information there was never any mention by the government that this controversial topic would potentially be a part of Mr. Kelly’s trial. The defense was blindsided,” Farinella stated.
R. Kelly’s lawyers are also taking issue with allegations that he impregnated Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15-years-old and then bribed a government employee to get her a fake ID so he could marry her.
“There is absolutely no physical proof, nor circumstantial proof, that any of these allegations put forth by the government are true. Due to the unfortunate passing away of Jane Doe #1 [Aaliyah] on August 25, 2001, she is legally unavailable.
“Therefore the additional information the government seeks to introduce regarding Jane Doe #1 is nothing more than conjecture and an effort to further shape their narrative,” Thomas Farinella snapped.
