NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — During day three of R. Kelly‘s sex trafficking trial in Brooklyn on Friday, jurors heard testimony about Kelly’s marriage to the late singer Aaliyah.
As CBS2’s Jessica Moore reports, for the first time, we saw a copy of the 1994 marriage license for R. Kelly and Aaliyah. At the time, he was 27 and she was 15.
Defense attorneys for R. Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, stayed quiet on day three of his sex trafficking trial.
“Any thoughts on the trial so far?” Moore asked.
“We’re not allowed to talk about it,” defense attorney Nicole Blank Becker said.
R. Kelly’s former assistant Anthony Navarro testifies during day three of the singer’s sex trafficking trial on Aug. 20, 2021. (Court sketch)
Friday, on the stand, former assistant Anthony Navarro said working for Kelly was like being in the Twilight Zone. He has since worked for celebrities like Taylor Swift and Kanye West and said nothing similar ever happened with either of those musicians.
Navarro also testified seeing cameras set up on tripods in Kelly’s bedroom.
He was assigned to drive Kelly’s girlfriends around, but according to what he called “Rob’s Rules,” he was forbidden from speaking with any of the girls.
In fact, he says one time Kelly “fined him for breaking a trivial rule” and withheld his paycheck that week.
He also testified he had to get Kelly’s permission to give the girls food or take them anywhere.
He said none of the girls he drove around appeared to be underage.
READ MORE: Timeline Of R. Kelly’s Life And Career
He also told the jury he often picked up Kelly’s herpes medication, an STD many of the women claim Kelly gave them without their knowledge.
Cook County clerk supervisor Carolyn Harris testifies during day three of R. Kelly’s sex trafficking trial on Aug. 20, 2021. (Court sketch)
Cook County clerk Carolyn Harris testified about the 1994 marriage between Kelly and Aaliyah. Harris testified the marriage license was issued using a Department of Public Aid ID showing Aaliyah was 18, when in fact she was 15. That ID is not a legal way to obtain a marriage license under Illinois law.
Kelly is accused of bribing a city official with $500 to provide a fake ID for the 15-year-old girl, so they could get married because Aaliyah told Kelly she was pregnant.
Testimony continues Monday.
from CBS New York https://ift.tt/2Izr88c
