CHICAGO — The woman who was 14 when R. Kelly allegedly sexually assaulted and urinated on her in a video that helped tie flagrantly predatory behavior to the R&B artist’s public image testified for the first time Thursday, describing how he sexually assaulted her hundreds of times while she was a minor.
The girl, now 37 years old, is testifying under the pseudonym Jane in Kelly’s second federal trial in Chicago. He is facing 13 counts, including charges for producing child sex abuse images and obstructing justice, in connection with a state trial in 2008 that resulted in his acquittal.
After describing how she was groomed for sexual abuse shortly after developing a mentor-like relationship with the R&B singer, Jane told prosecutors they had sex “uncountable times,” but estimated the number to be in the “hundreds.”
Jane’s testimony was highly anticipated after her absence in the 2008 trial and decadeslong denial that she was the person in the tape and had a sexual relationship with Kelly. She is expected to tell jurors that she lied to law enforcement and the Cook County grand jury when they charged him with producing the infamous tape in 2002.
Jane, who grew up in a suburb of Chicago, said she first met Kelly in 1996 or 1997, when she was 12 or 13, at a concert at her church.
“I was excited like every other fan in the world,” she testified, describing Kelly’s celebrity status as being at a superstar level.
The next time she saw Kelly was a few weeks or months later when he came to her musical group’s performance. At the time, she was a rapper and singer in a four-person group with her cousins that toured in Europe, gaining popularity in places like Germany.
After she finished performing, Kelly told her “how great of a job” she did, which made her feel accomplished and happy, she testified.
“Such a successful person was saying I was gifted, so I was excited,” Jane said.
Soon after that, she began spending more time with Kelly through her aunt, Stephanie, a singer who was collaborating and having a sexual relationship with the R&B star.
At some point, Stephanie encouraged Jane to ask Kelly to be her godfather so she could build a better relationship with him. Jane said at the time “he was the person that I looked up to,” and she “thought it was a good idea.”
As instructed by Stephanie, Jane said she sat on Kelly’s lap and rubbed his head when she brought it up with him. She said when she asked, Kelly looked up at her and “chuckled a little bit” and said yes.
Within weeks of becoming her godfather, Kelly’s behavior toward her started changing, she testified. He began asking her sexual questions while they talked on the phone, such as what color her panties were, and talking about her breasts growing. Their phone calls then progressed to what Jane described as “phone sex,” where Kelly would ask her questions and let her know that he was masturbating. From there, it escalated into physical sexual abuse.
Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison less than two months ago a jury in New York convicted him last year on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. It marked the first time the R&B artist has faced consequences for the sexual abuse claims that have dogged him for decades.
Jane was expected to continue testifying Thursday after a midday break in the trial.
