R.Kelly not guilty in child rape

It’s certainly not the O.J. Simpson spectacle or the bizarre Phil Spector tale. There is no bloody glove or wild wigs. But R.Kelly’s trial is finally over after six years of allegations and investigations.

A Chicago jury acquitted R. Kelly on all counts at his child pornography trial yesterday.

Kelly was charged with 14 counts of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl, who prosecutors say was as young as 13. If convicted, he faced up to 15 years in prison. He would have also had to register as a sex offender in Illinois.

The prosecution’s star witness was a woman who said she engaged in three-way sex with Kelly and the girl from the video. Defense attorneys argued the man on the tape didn’t have a large mole on his back, as Kelly does.

Jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon and continued for three hours. They returned Friday morning and were immediately sequestered.

There were two jurors who had some issues with the case. One sent a note to the judge after three hours of deliberations Friday that read: “How can I be removed and go home? I really need to.”

Judge Vincent Gaughan called attorneys into the courtroom, told them about the note but adjourned before dealing with the matter.

Earlier in the morning, the judge called attorneys in to discuss another juror, who became frustrated by slow service during dinner the night before and started banging a bottle on the table and cursing. That juror was allowed to remain on the panel after other jurors indicated they could continue working with him.

The 41-year-old superstar, who has pleaded not guilty, was charged in 2002. His trial was repeatedly delayed, once because the judge seriously injured himself falling off a ladder and another time because Kelly had emergency surgery to remove his appendix.

Both Kelly and the alleged victim, now 23, deny being on the tape.

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