The trial against R. Kelly is heating up, as the jury has been selected ahead of next week’s opening statements.
The five women and seven men were sworn in on Wednesday after dozens of potential jurors were screened by the U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly over three days. Five women and one man will serve as alternates in the event that a juror needs to be excused. The judge is asking the panel to remain impartial despite the increased publicity surrounding the case. Their identities will remain anonymous, and to preserve their privacy, U.S. Marshals will accompany them to and from the court.
The jurors selected appear to be people who do not engage much in entertainment news and do not know much about the “Honey Love” singer. One of the jurors mistook R. Kelly for the American illustrator R. Crumb.
Due to COVID-19 transmission concerns, the judge ruled that the public nor the press could view the trial in person.
The road leading up to the Grammy-award-winning singer’s trial has been rocky since his 2019 arrest. Members of his legal team have quit, while others have bumped heads. Just days ago, they asked that the STD charges be thrown out ahead of the August 18th trial, though it does not appear that is going to happen.
The trial is expected to last four weeks.
