R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking
3 Min Read
Shattering testimonies have led the singer to his sentencing to prison.
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R. Kelly walks away after appearing for a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on September 17, 2019. (AP)
American singer R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing women and children. Last September, the R&B artist was found guilty for sex trafficking and racketeering crimes.
On Wednesday, US judge Ann Donnelly remarked that the 55-year-old singer had an "indifference to human suffering." For two decades, R. Kelly lured women and children into sexual abuse, trafficking women between different US states with the assistance of managers and security guards from his entourage.
His lawyers indicated that he will appeal.
Before he was sentenced, a number of women stood to confront R. Kelly.
Angela, one of the women, called the singer a Pied Piper who "grew in wickedness" with every new victim. Other women said he had broken their spirits during their testimonies.
"I literally wished I would die because of how you made me feel," said one.
Kelly declined to comment or make a statement regarding the sentencing, and did not react as the verdict was handed to him.
Donnelly said that R. Kelly used sex as a weapon, and forced his victims to do 'unspeakable things,' passing on sexually transmitted diseases to them.
"You taught them that love is enslavement and violence," she said, speaking directly to the sex offender.
Aaliyah, his singer ex-wife, was not exempt from the abuse. The court saw testimonies of how the singer illegally got paperwork saying that Aaliyah is 18 and eligible for marriage - she was 15 at the time of marriage. Months later, when the certificate was leaked, the marriage was revoked.
One of R. Kelly's former backup singers, Jovante Cunningham, said "There wasn't a day in my life up until this moment that I actually believed that the judicial system would come through for black and brown girls."
"I stand here very proud of my judicial system, very proud of my fellow survivors and very pleased with the outcome."
Federal prosecutors recommended that R. Kelly be sentenced to more than 25 years in prison, while his lawyers called for 10 (the mandatory minimum) and less. The lawyers explained that the singer grew up in an abusive household where he experienced domestic and sexual violence, and that the singer is "devastated" by the sentence.
Lizzette Martinez, who met R. Kelly at the age of 17, said that there were "so many things he could have done to stop himself," and that "He had all the resources; we don't have resources like that. He could have gotten help," she told BBC, saying she avoided justice for years due to the "power of celebrity."
"I believe that he was just making so much money for so many powerful people that they protected him."
R. Kelly has been in custody since 2019, spending three years behind bars.
