AP Photo/Charles Rex ArbogastTime for R. Kelly to finally face the music.
After six years of delays, the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&B was in a Chicago courtroom today for opening arguments in his kiddie-porn trial.
Prosecutors hope to prove that the 41-year-old "Snake" singer slithered his way into bed almost a decade ago with a then-13-year-old girl and recorded their sex acts for posterity. The tape was an underground sensation before being anonymously mailed in 2002 to the Chicago Sun-Times, which then alerted authorities.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
And the case is hardly a slam dunk for the Cook County District Attorney.
For one, the alleged victim—whose identity has not been disclosed because the purported crime occurred when she was underage—has repeatedly insisted she's not the girl in the 26-minute video, which concludes with a man resembling Kelly urinating on his costar.
Lead prosecutor Shauna Boliker will aim to show that the now-23-year-old woman was pressured into making those denials and establish through the testimony of other witnesses that indeed she was the minor in question.
The defense's job will be to plant enough reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury to acquit the chart-topping Grammy winner on charges of soliciting a minor for child pornography, videotaping the sexual activity and producing child pornography. They'll probably start by arguing that he's not the perp in the video, which will no doubt be screened at some point for the panel.
The panel, seated last week, includes eight white members and four African-Americans. One juror is a Baptist preacher's wife; another is a young woman who said she was once raped; there's also a business executive who said during jury selection he had believed Kelly was guilty.
Judge Vincent Gaughan, a 66-year-old Vietnam vet who has a reputation for running his courtroom a lot like basic training, has imposed eyes-only secrecy to ensure Kelly gets a fair shake and avoid having the trial morph into a full-blown circus, à la those of Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson.
Gaughan has sealed many court documents, held closed-door hearings, imposed a decorum order barring both sides from discussing the case publicly, set stringent rules regarding how reporters cover it and briefly jailed a woman for openly snapping cell phone pictures in court.
Kelly faces up to 15 years in jail, if convicted.