Prosecutors want to add new witnesses in R. Kelly porn case
Prosecutors in the R. Kelly child pornography case sought to add two witnesses to their list for the R&B singer's May 9 trial — a move the judge called “extraordinary.”
“This case has been on my [court] call 112 times,” said Judge Vincent Gaughan. “This is very extraordinary. There's been a certificate of readiness filed by both sides.”
Gaughan said he would allow Kelly's defense team to take the witness' depositions — but vowed the move would not further delay the trial. The case has been pending since 2002 and subject to repeated delays.
Kelly, 40, is charged with child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl estimated to be 13 or 14. He has pleaded not guilty in the case.
It was not immediately clear who the two witnesses are, though Assistant State's Attorney Shauna Boliker indicated they had come forward recently.
“They just recently came into our knowledge,” Boliker said. “We did not mean to blindside your honor.”
Lawyers in the case are subject to a gag order, and court papers in which the prosecutors requested the additional witnesses were filed under seal.
Kelly's defense lawyer Ed Genson objected to adding the new witnesses. “We had understood the list was complete a while back,” Genson said. “As to both witnesses, we have no paper ... No police report work.”
Kelly appeared in court Wednesday with his lawyers wearing a dark suit. He is next scheduled to appear in court April 1.