Kelly was found guilty on several charges of child pornography and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to CNN, the rapper was acquitted on charges that he conspired to obstruct justice during his 2008 trial which took place due to a state case from 2022.
Following the decision, Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean released a statement saying that the rapper felt a sense of relief that the case is already behind him. But she also stressed that the prosecutors overblew the case against R. Kelly.
“There was a mixed verdict, but we won more counts than we lost. If this jury concluded that he was guilty on the first three counts, would they care enough to consider the evidence on the rest? And they demonstrated that they did. They did their job. They looked at each count separately,” she said.
Jurors reportedly deliberated for 10 hours after listening to all the testimonies. One of the testimonies came from an anonymous individual who alleged that R. Kelly sexually abused her and recorded their encounters when she was just 14 years old.
Kelly’s co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown were acquitted on all charges they faced. But the rapper’s former accountant and business manager, McDavid was charged with conspiracy to receive child pornography.
McDavid’s lawyers, Vadim Glozman and Beau Brindley also released a statement and reacted to the court’s decision.
“The jury found what we knew all along. The government brought a case that should have never been brought. It was based on the word of proven liars. We exposed them in front of the jury and the jury made the right decision,” they said.
Prior to the court’s decision, R. Kelly was already sentenced to 30 years in prison. Since he’s just in his 50s, the rapper would be free again when he’s in his 80s that is if he will still be around them.
Kelly will also be required to undergo mental health evaluation and treatment like therapy for an unspecified sexual disorder. He is not also allowed to come into contact with anyone younger than 18 years old, according to Cinema Blend.
If the time comes that he needs to live in a shared home, he would need to inform the person residing on the property that he is a convicted sex offender. This way, all parties will be protected by law.