Source: Cook County Department of Corrections / Cook County Department of Corrections
R. Kelly has been blessed with 11 new felony charges. This is in addition to the 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse he was hit with back in February.
That’s all? The new charges involve one of the four victims prosecutors are accusing R. Kelly of sexually abusing years ago.
As usual, the alleged details are heinous.
Reports the Chicago Tribune:
The new 11-count indictment concerns a woman identified in charges only as J.P., who prosecutors have said met Kelly during his 2008 trial on child pornography charges and began having sexual contact with him the next year when she was only 16.
Kelly still faces separate indictments charging he sexually abused three other women — two of whom were also underage at the time.
The four most serious counts in Thursday’s indictment charge Kelly with aggravated criminal sexual assault — a Class X felony that could carry a prison sentence of six to 30 years on conviction. Previously, Kelly had faced charges that brought the potential of up to seven years in prison but left probation a possibility as well.
The J.P. in question has gone public with her accusations before—her name is Jerhonda Pace. In 2017 she was the subject of a piece by longtime R. Kelly whistleblower and journalist Jim DeRogatis for an article in Buzzfeed. She also spoke her truth in Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docuseries.
Pace has confirmed the new counts are related to her case (we won’t post her Twitter handles because, trolls). R. Kelly will be in court next week to be arraigned on the new charges.
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Photo: Getty