2 more R. Kelly accusers take the stand against disgraced singer, say he videotaped them having sex as minors
CHICAGO — The two women who took the stand against R. Kelly in his federal trial in Chicago on Monday couldn’t have been more different in demeanor.
One was fierce and unapologetically sarcastic. The other spoke so shyly that courtroom personnel often had to remind her to speak up. But both were equally confident about their allegations, describing in vivid and disturbing detail how Kelly repeatedly sexually assaulted them when they were underage.
Both women also faced hours of intensely combative cross-examination from Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, who hit hard on both their motives for coming forward and whether they were truly underage when they began sexual relationships with the singer.
The questioning led to some startling exchanges, with the quieter of the two women telling Bonjean, “You don’t have to be mean to me.”
After Bonjean said she was trying, the witness retorted, “Try a little harder.”
“I like seeing the real you. It’s cute,” Bonjean shot back.
It all amounted to another extraordinary day of testimony in Kelly’s trial, now in its third week at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, which has so far featured 23 witnesses. Prosecutors have indicated they may rest their case in chief
