R. Kelly Trial: Sex Tape Screened, One Juror Exits

Opening statements went down yesterday in the R. Kelly trial, and so did one juror. Juror Sixty-eight, who was perhaps the prosecution's most valuable juror due to the fact that she was a rape victim, was forced to leave the panel after learning her job would not pay for her time away from work, thus making it impossible for her to maintain her mortgage. Meanwhile, the court was shown the complete version of the sex tape that was the catalyst for Kelly's child pornography charges. The 27-minute video, which was sent anonymously to a Chicago newspaper in 2002, shows a man the prosecution claims is Kelly having sex with a girl who may be as young as 13. The defense maintains it is not the "Trapped in the Closet" star on the tape, and the girl in question says it's not her in the video either. Stay tuned to Rock Daily for more updates on the trial of the Pied Piper of R&B.