R. Kelly is set to stand trial in September 2021 in Chicago.
R. Kelly will not be having a new trial anytime soon as his trial date has once again been rescheduled for later in the year 2021. The artist has been in prison for 17 months as hopes of a trial in 2020 had to be moved due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The date has been pushed back several times, and now his lawyer has agreed to a September 2021 date.
A journalist reporting on the story, Jason Meisner, reported that the judge Harry Leinenweber during a status hearing, settled for a tentative September 13, 2021 date for trial to begin. On this date the jury selection is expected to take place.
He tweeted, “Leinenweber sets a trial date for Kelly and his co-defendants for Sept 13, 2021. Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, sounds skeptical given everything going on, but agrees to set the date as long as it’s not “set in stone.”
R. Kelly and his co-defendants are charged with tampering with Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial, where it is alleged that they paid off witnesses and victims to change their testimony.
Kelly is presently held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. His lawyer Steven Greenberg also complained about the difficulty in reaching his client due to the effects of the pandemic and R. Kelly. The Center officials have set up video meetings for Kelly to meet with his lawyer, who says not reaching his client affects their ability to prep for the trial and review documents.
Meanwhile, R.Kelly is also facing separate racketeering charges in New York that’s scheduled for trial in April 2021. He also faces criminal sex abuse charges filed in 2019 that’s ongoing.
