R. Kelly has been ordered held on $1 million bond, as reported by the Chicago Tribune and CBS Chicago. After his Friday night arrest, Kelly appeared in Cook County court Saturday afternoon, where his bond was set at $250,000 for each of the four cases that led to the total 10 criminal charges. According to reports from the courtroom, Kelly will have to pay $100,000 to be released, and will be required to surrender his passport to the court. He is currently barred from talking with the victims in the case, and is not allowed to associate with minors while his case is pending.
Court documents made public by the Chicago Tribune‘s Jason Meisner and BuzzFeed News’ Sarah Conway reveal new details about the charges against R. Kelly. According to the bond proffer, three of the four women—J.P., R.L., and H.W.—were underage when the crimes were committed. The fourth victim, known in the documents as L.C., was 24 years old.
According to prosecutors, L.C. was working for Kelly as a hair stylist when he exposed himself to her. “Robert Kelly grabbed the victim by the head and tried to force her mouth onto his exposed penis but the victim was able to resist,” the statement reads. “Robert Kelly then masturbated and ejaculated onto the victim and spit in her face several times.” The shirt worn by the victim was submitted to DNA testing and confirmed to match the musician’s DNA.
The document also details an encounter between Kelly and another victim known as H.W., who met Kelly while celebrating her 16th birthday party at a restaurant. Kelly’s manager was instructed to give the singer’s personal phone number to the victim after she told Kelly it was her 16th birthday. The victim later met Kelly at his studio, where he “penetrated the victim repeatedly vaginally and orally.” Kelly later gave the victim a “large sum of money,” and the two had numerous sexual encounters for roughly the next year.
Aspects of the bond proffer are consistent with details from past reports of Kelly’s alleged crimes. One victim identified as R.L. is revealed to be “the niece of S.E.” or Stephanie Edwards, the R&B vocalist Sparkle who testified against Kelly during his 2008 child pornography trial. The document also reveals that the victim identified as J.P. met Kelly outside of the court house at the 2008 trial, a claim consistent with Jim DeRogatis’ BuzzFeed News report from August 2017, which included an account from a woman named Jerhonda Pace, who claimed to have met Kelly during the trial. According to DeRogatis’ piece, Pace was sexually abused by Kelly during the period between May 2009 and January 2010.
A press conference held by Attorney Kim Fox revealed that each charge carried a possible 3-7 year prison sentence. Kelly could face 70 years in prison if found guilty on all accounts. Kelly will return to court on Monday, February 25.
Here are the factual allegations against #RKelly read in court: pic.twitter.com/6Wge8DjYhM
— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) February 23, 2019
Trigger warning: Bond proffer detailing charges against #RKelly. I’ll share them here in a thread. (1) pic.twitter.com/viOX5S416R
— Sarah Conway (@sarahanneconway) February 23, 2019
Trigger warning: Bond proffer detailing charges against #RKelly. (2) pic.twitter.com/rqw1RSbNCL
— Sarah Conway (@sarahanneconway) February 23, 2019
Trigger warning: Bond proffer detailing charges against #RKelly. (3) pic.twitter.com/K9tsFjFvlK
— Sarah Conway (@sarahanneconway) February 23, 2019
Trigger warning: Bond proffer detailing charges against #RKelly. (4) pic.twitter.com/4QGXoJoZkE
— Sarah Conway (@sarahanneconway) February 23, 2019
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
