“This case is about a predator,” Assistant US Attorney Maria Melendez said in her opening statement as the R.Kelly trial begins.

Prosecutors began the jury trial for R Kelly by telling the jury of horrible sexual allegations against him this past Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court. Prosecutor, U.S. District Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez make clear statements to the jury about associates as well as employees that were in and around R Kelly at the time and facilitated the abuse among Female minors. The close people around singer R Kelly the jury was told that day controlled R Kelly’s victims every move. The trial preceded with the prosecutors relaying to the jury decades of horrible sexual allegations against the celebrity singer.

U.S. District Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said to the jury this began in the early 1990s where are Kelly would convince eager fans that were female and contact them through one of his associates and make arrangements for her to come to see him no matter what the distance.

Included in the 9 count indictment four of the six victims were minors at the time was 54 years old and having sexual relationships with these women.

Aaliyah, age 13 in 1992 when she met R. Kelly, then 1992 was the main focus of the hearing on Wednesday .

Kelly was charged in the first count of his formal accusation with bribing a public official so he could create a fake ID for Aaliyah who died in a plane crash in 2001. A marriage  ceremony what’s however later and old by Aaliyah parents once they found out about the marriage. The relationship started with R Kelly writing music and lyrics when she thought she was pregnant for the child in the relationship.

If R.Kelly  is convicted as a sexual predator on all counts, he could be sentenced to several decades in prison.

Even if the celebrity singer  is acquitted at this trial in Los Angeles, Mr. Kelly will still face  sex-related charges in Illinois and Minnesota, where he has also pleaded not guilty.

In addition to victim witnesses, prosecutors plan to call former members of Kelly’s inner circle who arranged travel for alleged victims; clinical and forensic psychologists to discuss grooming methods, trauma, and why victims stay with abusers and delay reporting abuse; and a DNA expert to testify about Kelly’s semen found on a T-shirt of a 16-year-old victim. As reported by Courthouse News

“We are going to ask you to hold the defendant accountable,” Melendez told the jury, for years of abuse, and come to a guilty verdict.

Image Andrew Steinmetz