A Woman Claims R. Kelly Forced Her To Get An Abortion Against Her Will

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In courtroom artist’s sketch made from a video screen monitor, defendant R. Kelly, left, listens during the opening day of his New York federal trial in Brooklyn on Aug. 18.

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R. Kelly Is Going To Trial For Alleged Sex Crimes. Here’s What To Know

Kelly and Aaliyah’s marriage

Demetrius Smith, formerly a tour manager for Kelly, also finished his testimony on Monday. Smith reluctantly testified that he helped organize the marriage between Kelly and the late pop star Aaliyah. Smith said he bribed an employee at an Illinois state welfare office with $500 to obtain a fake ID for Aaliyah, so that she and Kelly could apply for a marriage license. (Aaliyah, whose full name was Aaliyah Dana Haughton, died in a plane crash in 2001; she is identified in the court documents as Jane Doe #1.)

At the time of the marriage on Aug. 31, 1994, Aaliyah was 15 years old, and Kelly 27. Smith said that the reason for the marriage is because Kelly believed that Aaliyah was pregnant, and that Kelly and one of his employees, former business manager Derrel McDavid, believed the marriage would prevent Kelly from potentially being prosecuted for having had sex with a minor.

Years later, «Jane» testified on Monday, she and Kelly’s other girlfriends asked him about his marriage to Aaliyah. «Jane» said that Kelly told them the reason for the marriage was because Aaliyah had been pregnant, and that only Aaliyah’s parents or a spouse could approve an abortion.

The federal trial in Brooklyn is expected to last about a month. Kelly faces separate federal charges involving child pornography and obstruction of justice in Illinois.

• R. Kelly
• R. Kelly