Following the motion filed by R. Kelly’s legal team to disqualify jurors who have seen any portion of the 2019 documentary ‘Surviving R. Kelly’, Judge Harry D. Leinenweber has disagreed with the defence team, while also denying their request.
See Why R. Kelly Wants Judge To Ban Jurors Who’ve Seen ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ From Trial
According to the judge, the series aired years ago, 2019 to be exact, and it wouldn’t make sense to prohibit someone from serving if they’d seen only part of the series.
Reports also state that the juror questionnaires showed nine people say they saw at least some of the series. Meanwhile, seventy jurors indicated they had not seen the documentary.
As part of the selection process, jurors were also asked if they are familiar with the #MeToo movement or victims of sexual abuse.
Monday was the first day of jury selection, however, the process was concluded yesterday, where Twelve jurors were chosen, as well as, six alternatives.
Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean earlier filed the motion for disqualification, stating that it would be impossible for anyone who saw any part of the series to separate what they saw on TV and in the courtroom.
Just so you know, the six-part docuseries details R. Kelly’s alleged crimes from the perspective of his accusers, their families, and others, and it featured more than fifty interviews.
This child pornography trial in Chicago is coming just months after R. Kelly was sentenced to thirty years in prison in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
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