As if things could not get any worse for R. Kelly, now his former tour manager is set to testify against the embattled R&B hitmaker.
Demetrius Smith, the former tour manager who spent time on the road with Kelly in the 90s, will testify that he was the one who purchased a fake ID for Aaliyah back in 1994, while she was only 15, at the direction of Kelly, who was 27 at the time. The purchase, Smith claimed, was made so that the teen would be able to marry Kelly. Smith said during the filming of “Surviving R. Kelly” that he witnessed the ceremony take place.
“I was in the room when they got married,” Smith claimed. “I’m not proud of that. I had papers forged for them when Aaliyah was underaged. It was just a quick little ceremony. She didn’t have on a white dress. He didn’t have on a tux. Just everyday wear. She looked worried and scared.”
Prosecutors have added the allegation, which they feel constitutes bribery, to the racketeering charge pending against Kelly in the Eastern District of New York. This will be the first time that Kelly is tried for the alleged relationship with the young singer, whom he was mentoring at the time.
However, despite his cooperation with the prosecutors in the case, Smith said that he does not want to see Kelly imprisoned for the allegations against him. He feels that Kelly, instead, needs help.
“People just looking at locking someone up. I think Robert should just get a psych evaluation… I think we should help him more so than hurt him.” he shared during a video chat with TMZ.
A representative for Kelly has not yet responded to Smith’s claims.
