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R. Kelly Trial: Friends, Relatives Identify Girl and Kelly in Sex Tape

May 22, 2008 9:45 AM ET

Friends and relatives of the then-underage girl supposedly shown in the R. Kelly sex tape took the stand yesterday at Kelly's child pornography trial to testify that the girl in the tape is in fact the underage girl and that the male shown in the tape is Kelly. Among the witnesses was Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards, a former protégé of Kelly's and aunt of the girl in the video, and Simha Johnson, the supposed video girl's best friend. Both positively identified the girl and Kelly as the participants in the tape. The defense countered Edwards' testimony with allegations that Edwards attempted to extort Kelly out of money, which Edwards denied.

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