Prosecutor Kim Foxx told American media during a news conference yesterday that “justice has been done” by two previous convictions against R. Kelly in court and that it has therefore been decided to drop ten local charges against the singer. This writes the Los Angeles Times.
Current prison sentence
R. Kelly, who has been serving a 30-year sentence since 2019, is one of the most prominent Americans convicted following the rise of #MeToo.
Last fall, a jury in Chicago found him guilty of sex crimes there too, and a judge will rule in that federal case at the end of February. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces an additional 10 to 90 years in prison in the case.
The case, which is now off the table, began in 2019 with an appeal from Attorney General Foxx. She asked victims to come forward who had previously been abused by R. Kelly.
Possible disappointment
Four black women, three of whom were minors when they were abused by Kelly, told prosecutors. Foxx acknowledges during a news conference that the decision to drop the cases now for these victims “might be disappointing,” writes The Los Angeles Times.
The decision to do so would be due to the “extensive sentence” Kelly is currently serving and the “limited resources and time” of the prosecutor’s office.
