R. Kelly faces jurors in child sex tape trial

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

CHICAGO (AFP) — Six years after R. Kelly was charged with filming himself having sex with a girl as young as 13, the rhythm and blues superstar's child pornography trial began Friday with jury selection.

Court officials expect it could take a week to find 16 jurors who have not been tainted by the publicity surrounding the Grammy-award winning artist and the tape which has been bootlegged and distributed on the Internet.

While the media was barred from the courtroom when the pool of 150 potential jurors was introduced to Kelly and the case, a sketch artist said Judge Vincent Gaughan blushed as he read the 14-count indictment.

Kelly, who is now 41, is accused of videotaping a girl "whom he knew or reasonably should have known to be under the age of 18" in a...