R. Kelly trial delayed again
R. Kelly remains trapped in the legal closet.
A Cook County judge postponed the R&B superstar's trial Tuesday, adding another delay to the much-prolonged, 5-year-old case.
Lead prosecutor Shauna Boliker gave birth last week and her doctors have advised against returning to work at this time, a court spokesman said. A new trial date has not been set.
Jury selection was slated to begin Sept. 17.
Kelly, a 40-year-old Grammy winner, faces 14 counts of child pornography over a videotape of a sexual encounter with a teenage girl. Prosecutors have said the alleged victim could be as young as 13.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He made a brief courtroom appearance Tuesday. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The case has been plagued by delays -- for both mundane and bizarre reasons -- since Kelly's arrest in June 2002. The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer waived his right to a speedy trial, a move that allowed his high-priced defense team to file more than 30 pretrial motions.
The trial also was pushed back because Judge Vincent Michael Gaughan and Kelly's attorney Ed Genson were involved in two of this year's biggest trials. Genson represented newspaper magnate Conrad Black in his fraud case this summer, while Gaughan presided over the Brown's Chicken murder trial in the spring.
Other delays were for more unexpected reasons, including Kelly's emergency surgery last February for a burst appendix. Gaughan also postponed the start date last summer when he fell off a ladder and broke his back.
If the Kelly trial is not rescheduled by January, jury selection probably won't begin before late spring. Vaughan announced Tuesday that James Degorski -- the second defendant in the Brown's Chicken case -- will go on trial in February.
The most recent delay comes as Cook County officials braced themselves for the massive media attention the trial would attract. The sheriff's department received more than 75 requests for press credentials, including inquiries from as far away as Japan.
Court officials also met with media representatives multiple times this summer in hopes of avoiding the carnival-like atmosphere surrounding the O.J. Simpson and Anne Nicole Smith trials. A Sept. 17 start date seemed so likely last week that local reporters were given the exact number of seats they would occupy in the courtroom.
The looming legal battle, however, has not slowed Kelly's career. He has released five albums and a greatest hits collection since 2002. He also has completed three concert tours -- including a controversial one with rapper Jay-Z -- with the court's permission.
In the summer of 2005, he released the campy, sex-filled "Trapped in the Closet" video, an epic so-called hip-hopera that attempts to show how a one-night stand can set off a surreal chain of events. He released 10 new installments of the musical saga last month, bringing the total number of chapters to 22.
The Independent Film Channel plans to show the opus in its entirety at 8 p.m. Friday. IFC also will air an exclusive interview with Kelly following the broadcast.