Court testimony this week alleged that R. Kelly forced his girlfriends to fight at his birthday party as punishment — and also sexually abused a 17-year-old boy whom he was mentoring.
According to the Daily Beast, Kelly’s former assistant, Suzette Mayweather, testified in a New York court on Tuesday that Kelly was upset his girlfriends were “twerking for cake” at his all-female birthday party in January 2016. Mayweather recalled Kelly ordering the women to “get on each other” or fight — and overhearing thumping, screaming, and laughing upstairs, which she believes was them fighting.
Kelly, 54, is currently on trial in New York for federal sex trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors claimed Kelly sexually abused six women and girls, four of whom were underage at the time.
A day before Mayweather’s testimony, a man took the stand and said Kelly sexually abused him when he was 17 years old. The man, who used the pseudonym “Louis,” testified he met Kelly in 2006 while he was working at a McDonald’s near Chicago.
According to The New York Times, Louis said Kelly gave him and a co-worker his phone number while in the drive-thru line. Louis was an aspiring rapper, and his mother reportedly called Kelly with hopes of breaking his son into the music industry. After Kelly allegedly invited the family to his home he whispered in Louis’ ear that he should come to his other parties alone.
Louis said he went to Kelly’s studio on two instances to record music and receive advice. Louis claimed Kelly sexually abused him when the singer invited him under a similar arrangement. The accuser claimed Kelly would call him “little brother” during the assaults and Kelly instructed him to call him “Daddy,” according to The New York Times.
Louis explained that he kept meeting with Kelly because he wanted a music career. The teen reportedly took some of his friends to Kelly’s parties — including a 16-year-old boy who Kelly allegedly also sexually abused.
According to the report, Louis also testified that he was with Kelly at the singer’s home in Olympia Fields, Illinois, when Kelly snapped his fingers twice and a naked “young lady” crawled from under a boxing ring in his garage. Kelly allegedly then ordered her to perform sex acts on her and Louis.
“It was just a weird situation,” Louis testified. “It was uncomfortable.”
Kelly is also facing 13 federal counts in Illinois for various charges, including child pornography and obstruction of justice. On the state level, Kelly is facing 21 sex-related criminal charges in Cook County, Illinois. Last August, authorities in Minnesota charged Kelly with two counts of prostitution with a person younger than 18 in connection with an alleged 2001 incident.
Kelly has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Featured image: R. Kelly/Chicago Police Department]
