The trial of R. Kelly continued yesterday with more testimony being given against the beleaguered singer who is accused of child sexual exploitation, child pornography production, kidnapping, forced labor, racketeering, and obstruction of justice. In yesterday’s testimony, a former backup dancer for Kelly, who only goes by “Angela” in official proceedings, revealed that she walked in on the singer engaging in a sex act with Aaliyah in 1993 — when Aaliyah would have been only 13 or 14 years old. Kelly would have been around 26.
According to the New York Times report of Angela’s account, the dancer was with R. Kelly on tour and went to visit the singer on his tour bus. Opening the door, she says she saw him and Aaliyah “in a sexual situation.” She said, “It appeared that he had his head in between her legs and was giving her oral sex.”
The relationship between R. Kelly and Aaliyah has been well-documented over the years; one of the crimes of which Kelly is accused includes bribing government officials to falsify documents allowing him to marry the then-underaged in 1994. It was revealed during the trial that associates believed Kelly thought Aaliyah might be pregnant with his child and married her to prevent her from testifying against him.
“Angela” is the tenth accuser to testify, according to Vulture, and says that she was 14 or 15 when she met Kelly and was a minor during several sexual encounters with him. She says she met Aaliyah in 1992 when she was introduced by Kelly on Aaliyah’s 13th birthday. Angela also testified to some of Kelly’s extreme measures during that tour, telling her and the other backup dancers they had to “pay dues” to re-enter a hotel after leaving to get food — which meant having sex with him. Angela says she stopped working for Kelly in the mid-90s and never confronted him about the incidents.
Yesterday was the 15th day of the trial. Previously, a male witness also accused Kelly of grooming him and attested to the singer’s penchant for sex with underage girls.