By Tamlyn Canham
R. Kelly has been found guilty on all nine counts in his sex trafficking case. The R&B superstar was convicted of racketeering and eight counts of sex trafficking.
The prosecution accused members of the ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ hitmaker’s team of helping him lure his victims.
Security guards, managers, and members of his entourage were accused of supporting his predatory behaviour.
One of R. Kelly’s former tour managers testified that the singer believed 15-year old Aaliyah was pregnant with his child.
The Grammy Award winner was also accused of sexually abusing a boy he met at McDonald’s.
R. Kelly is expected to be sentenced in May 2022. He faces life in prison.
"Justice was finally served."
Federal prosecutors thanked the witnesses who testified against R. Kelly and commended the bravery of his victims after the singer was found guilty of running a decades-long scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex. https://t.co/Ux9NznlCcz pic.twitter.com/R0jBdrOnQo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 28, 2021
ALSO READ: Is R. Kelly’s net worth really negative $2m? Social media has a field day
Victims speak out
Several victims testified during the trial. One woman revealed that R. Kelly had choked her until she was unconscious after she broke his rules. The woman admitted that she lied about her age when she first met the singer but later revealed her true age.
Some of the victims said they contracted herpes from him. One of the victims revealed she was paid $200,000 after finding out the singer had given her herpes.
Here’s a look at how people on social media reacted to R. Kelly’s guilty verdict.
For decades, R. Kelly physically and sexually abused women and underage girls.
Although nothing can ever make up for years of suffering, those individuals finally received some sense of justice today.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) September 27, 2021
Everytime I see this type of thing in response to R. Kelly all I read is "WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ABUSE, RAPE, AND TORTURE BLACK WOMEN WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE LIKE WHITE MEN DO!"
And I want to believe that's not the intent behind these types of statements, but… https://t.co/nMMF0ZvwL2
— E.B. (@eb4prez) September 28, 2021
I’m in awe of the courage of the R. Kelly survivors. I hope they find some degree of peace in this moment. I’m also deeply grateful to @dreamhampton for creating a space where Black survivors could be seen. #SurvivingRKelly changed everything for all of us. #MeToo Thank you.
— Drew Dixon (@deardrewdixon) September 27, 2021
https://twitter.com/KoryEWoods/status/1442621062081040384
ALSO READ: Linda Mtoba asks strangers to stop touching her child
Main image credit: Instagram/@rkelly



