The jury selection process will begin in July in the R. Kelly child pornography case, stepping up court proceedings that have moved slowly since 2002, when the R&B artist originally was charged.
At a Friday hearing, the judge in Kelly’s case set a July 20 date for both prosecutors and defense attorneys to submit questions for a jury questionnaire, according to Assistant State’s Atty. Shauna Boliker, who called the move toward selecting potential jurors a “big step in the right direction.”
Kelly, who attended court on Friday, is charged with 14 counts of child pornography in connection with a videotape that allegedly depicts Kelly having sex with a girl prosecutors have said could be as young as 13. The defense has not conceded that the person on the tape is Kelly, and it has suggested in past court filings that it may argue that Kelly’s image was generated by a computer.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all 14 counts of child pornography.