A Chicago police officer was among four people who testified Wednesday in the R. Kelly child pornography trial that the female in the videotape showing an allegedly underage girl and the music superstar having sex is their then teenage niece and friend.
In December 2001, Officer Delores Gibson, the ex-wife of the alleged victim’s uncle Bennie Edwards Sr., said Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards brought the infamous tape to Gibson’s home where they both viewed it. Afterwards, Stephanie Edwards left the home with the tape in her possession. Gibson then contacted her niece’s parents and suggested they contact an attorney that was familiar with Kelly.
The defense chided Gibson for not doing her job as an officer by not confiscating what she confirmed was child pornography, and accused her of taking part of an extortion scheme with “Sparkle,” an aunt of the alleged victim and singer formerly produced by Kelly.
“I saw Mr. Kelly and my niece engaged in a sexual act, yes,” Gibson said.
Defense attorney Sam Adam Jr. asked why she let the video out of her possession and did not immediately notify authorities. Gibson said it was a sensitive situation and the parents were uncooperative. Eventually she decided that she did not want to be further involved, but contacted police about the tape one month later.
“It was played at your house. You are a police officer. [Your niece] is severely violated and you’re telling us you didn’t want anything to do with it? Come on, officer. You can do better than that,” Adam scolded.
Gibson replied that she knew there was a sex act committed that involved her niece and something needed to be done.
“I took the action that was needed at the time,” she said.
Adam suggested that the month-long delay in contacting police was about money.
“You also know that you go to the police for justice and a lawyer for money. And you told them to go to a lawyer, didn’t you? You knew Sparkle had an ax to grind and was running around with the tape so she could try to make money, didn’t you?” he asked, stating that the low-grade reproduced tape copy was manipulated to look like the R&B singer.
The officer denied the allegation.
A childhood friend also identified the female in the film as being about 13 or 14 years old when the tape was made. After seeing the tape, she knew by the face and the matching hairstyle they both had %uFFFD%uFFFD a mullet %uFFFD%uFFFD that it was her friend.
Simha Jamison, 24, said she and the alleged victim saw Kelly dozens of times at his then home on
After Jamison said she knew her friend “like the back of my hand,” Adam then asked, “Did she ever tell you she had a sexual relationship with R. Kelly?”
“No,” Jamison replied.
Adam then asked, “There’s a reason for that. Isn’t it because it wasn’t true? Isn’t that right?”
Going toe-to-toe with Adam, Jamison asked, “Are you asking me or telling me?”
The alleged victim’s uncle, Bennie Edwards Sr., said “that’s my niece” when asked to identify the female in the video. But he repeatedly stumbled on cross examination and said “I don’t recall” to many questions from Ed Genson, Kelly’s lead counsel.
Edwards said he never wanted to see the tape and viewed it for the first time shortly before taking the witness stand Wednesday. Genson, referring to sealed grand jury transcripts from 2002, asked Edwards if he remember telling the grand jury that he saw the tape.
Edwards said yes, then no, then yes, then finally, “I don’t recall,” prompting him to ask Genson if he was the one on trial.
Kelly sat upright and intensely watched the defense hammer away at the prosecution’s witnesses.
More witnesses are expected to testify that the alleged victim was a minor when the 27-minute tape was made between Jan. 1, 1998 and Nov. 1, 2000.
The female, who would now be 23 years old, and Kelly, 41, both denied they are in the film. If convicted, he may serve between four and 15 years in prison.
Testimony resumes Thursday.
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