Woman Testifies R. Kelly Sexually Abused Her When She Was 16

Day two of R. Kelly's trial started in Brooklyn's Federal District Court Thursday with Jerhonda Pace returning to the stand 

Pace, 28, testified on the six months of alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of R. Kelly when she was 16

She said would film their sexual encounters and told her to dress like a Girl Scout and wear her hair in pigtails

Kelly is charged with racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking and forced labor between 1994 and 2018 relating to six alleged victims

The 28 year-old woman, Jerhonda Pace has confessed that musician R Kelly asked her to lie about her age.

She said the musician demanded she call him “Daddy” when she was 16 and choked her until she passed out.

Pace is one of six women and girls, whom prosecutors say R. Kelly dominated and demanded absolute fealty from in a two-decade racketeering scheme where he recruited and abused his victims.

Among the victims was the late singer Aaliyah, who was 15 when she married Kelly.

Known as Jane Doe No. 4 in the indictment, Pace testified on Wednesday that Kelly knew she was 16 when they had intercourse because she had shown him identification, but he told her to pretend she was 19.

Once a fan, Pace said Kelly began mistreating her, demanding that she call him “Daddy” and making her ask permission to go to the bathroom.

She said the relationship ended after R. Kelly choked her until she passed out.

Kelly’s defense team, which will get a chance to question Pace, said on Wednesday the government’s case had “gaps,” and that Kelly’s accusers wanted to get back at him after their relationships ended.

In an opening statement on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told a jury that Kelly used “lies, manipulation, threats and physical abuse” to control his victims.

He was also accused of often filming their sexual encounters.

Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose songs include “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind,” has pleaded not guilty to a nine-count indictment that includes accusations of bribery and extortion.

The trial is the culmination of years of suspicions and accusations against Kelly, many discussed in the 2019 Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” and nearly four years after the start of the #MeToo era.

Prosecutors say Kelly used an entourage of managers, bodyguards and others to recruit victims, and threatened to blackmail them if they fled.

Other female accusers and at least one male accuser are expected to testify for the government, some using only their first names.

Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges at a 2008 trial in Illinois.

Kelly could face decades in prison if convicted.

August 19, 2021