Prosecutors of the sex trafficking trial against R. Kelly have rested their case following weeks of testimony from several people who claim they were sexually abused by the singer or witnessed him abuse others.
The defense will now have to counter their testimonies and prove Kelly did not commit any of the crimes that were mentioned. Over the past few weeks, the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer has been accused of giving several victims STDs without disclosing his status, locking victims in rooms at his home and physically and sexually abusing them.
On Monday (Sept. 20), Larry Hood, a childhood friend of Kelly, testified that he never saw him misbehave with any young girls.
A defense attorney asked Hood, who also worked for the 12 Play singer as an off-duty Chicago cop in the early 2000s, if he ever saw his former boss lock anyone in a room. “No, sir,” Hood replied, adding, “As a police officer, I would have had to take action against that.”
He then admitted to seeing Aaliyah and some of her “little friends.” Hood told jurors that he met her at the same time as Kelly and he confirmed that she was around 12 or 13 years old at that time. “Yeah, approximately,” he replied to an attorney. “She was a young lady, yes.”
The former officer also said he “wasn’t there” when the alleged wedding ceremony between Kelly and Aaliyah took place and said he learned about their marriage “later in life.”
During cross examination, Hood admitted that he was terminated from the Chicago Police Department in 2007 after pleading guilty in a counterfeit money case. However, he said that he was able to keep his pension.
Kelly is currently charged with eight violations of the Mann Act — a federal anti-sex trafficking law — and racketeering. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.