May 12, 2008
Jury Selection Continues in R. Kelly Trial
R. Kelly's long-awaited child pornography trial is officially underway. Jury selection started Friday, resumed this morning and should take about a week, with around 150 potential jurors being screened down to 16 (the standard 12 plus 4 alternates). The judge and lawyers from both sides are questioning potential jurors, asking about impartiality and how much they already know about the case. Also, being a little weird:
[Judge] Gaughan also asked the first prospective juror to look Kelly in the eyes and promise him a fair trial. When the man told Kelly he would be fair to both sides, the singer nodded and mouthed "all right."
Look him in the eye and promise? Is that legally binding? [Trib, MTV, AP]
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I love this judge. LOVE HIM.
This is like Daddy MAKING you apologize to your sister: "Look at HER and say you are sorry, I already know you are sorry".
I think it has more to do with humanizing R. Kelly and making the jurors realize that at the end of the day, after all the hoopla, there is a MAN on trial for his LIFE. Albeit a very very innocent, talented, corn-rowed man. I am taking a morning off work next week to go watch these proceedings.
Gaughan also asked the first prospective juror to look Kelly in the eyes and promise him a fair trial. When the man told Kelly he would be fair to both sides, the singer nodded and mouthed "I like the crotch on you"
Spav, want to explain why you are convinced R. Kelly is innocent? I'm not saying he's guilty, but I'm also not ready to go down to 26th and Cal with a "Free R. Kelly" sign.
I think the judge is doing this just right. He has to clamp down, or else the trial will become a circus.
navin gets runner up for comment of the week.
PS Spav, not trying to sound like a dick, just meant to ask why you called Kelly "very very innocent."
ahhhhh Spavatorious,
Sometimes after a long day, your deal old Spook unwinds with a movie. But as I am with out TV, I must often rely upon YouTube which means trolling for movies which often is a fruitless search. Yesterday it came down to "State's Property" and "Hard Candy" Given my engrained environmental proclivities, I clicked on to “State's Property” but quickly switched to "Hard Candy" after it became apparent that the ruthless drug barons in the movie would not, no matter how rich they got of the drug game, invest in acting classes to make the movie watchable.
Upon watching Hard Candy, I immediately thought of your infatuation with R- Rapist -Kelly. I hope he meets a urban Hard Candy young lady one day instead of yet another women like you with fantasies about being a girl peed on by a grown man.
Regards,
yer Spook