R. Kelly's sex trafficking trial in New York City continues, and while previous reports have touched on the comments that R. Kelly's lawyer made about the late music icon Aaliyah, it appears that there have been much more serious developments as of late. According to CNN, Jerhonda Johnson Pace was called by federal prosecutors to testify, and she proceeded to share the graphic testimony of her alleged sexual abuse by R. Kelly 12 years ago.
Pace, who is now 28 years old, claims to have been sexually abused by the disgraced R&B artist when she was 16 years old, and in addition to saying that she possesses a t-shirt with his semen on it, her testimony was packed with disturbing details.
According to CNN, Pace was one of Kelly's staunch supporters who attended the singer's Chicago trial for state child pornography charges in 2008, and a year after he was acquitted of the charges, Pace said Kelly invited her to his home in Chicago. Pace reportedly testified that they went on to have a six-month sexual relationship when she was 16 years old, and after their relationship ended, she brought a t-shirt with R. Kelly's semen on it to an attorney.
From the start of the trial, R. Kelly's lawyer Nicole Blank Becker has been adamant that Pace isn't a trustworthy witness, reportedly saying in her opening statement that Pace "is a self-proclaimed liar." Regardless, Pace has provided her testimony to the court, which featured several damning allegations against R. Kelly.
Pace, who previously starred in Surviving R. Kelly, testified that the R&B singer's sexual abuse began when she visited his home in 2009, instructed to bring a bathing suit. Prior to any sexual activity, she admits that she told him she was 19 years old despite just being 16. Pace says that once there, R. Kelly had him strip for her, and then he proceeded to perform oral sex on her.
"I told him I was actually 16," Pace testified, saying that R. Kelly's actions made her feel uncomfortable. Pace alleges that R. Kelly replied by saying, "What is that supposed to mean?" According to CNN, she also claims that R. Kelly told her she should "continue to tell everyone she was 19 and to act 21." Pace claims that R. Kelly took her viriginity.
"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone I was spending time with him," Pace told the court, revealing that R. Kelly also took her cell phone away and demanded that she didn't leave rooms that she was in. "He didn't want me in contact with anyone but him. We were not able to leave out of the rooms. It was a part of the rules. Rob's rules."
According to CNN, Pace and R. Kelly's sexual relationship came to an end after a fight that started up after Pace allegedly refused to acknowledge the singer's presence as he walked into a room. Pace testified that R. Kelly slapped her and choked her until she passed out, and when she woke up, he allegedly spat on her and told her to perform oral sex on him. Pace claims that he then ejaculated onto her face, so she wiped her face with a nearby blue t-shirt. After escaping R. Kelly's home, that shirt became the evidence that she turned over to an attorney.
Pace reportedly opted to not press charges against R. Kelly, and instead, she settled a civil suit against him outside of court. "In exchange for my silence, I would be paid $1.5 million -- $1 million to myself and $500,000 to my attorneys," Pace testified.
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However, Pace reportedly told a friend about what happened in her civil suit with R. Kelly, and the friend secretly recorded the conversation. The recording found its way to R. Kelly, and Pace's attorney informed her that she had breached her contract and had to return some of the settlement money.
According to CNN, Pace ended her testimony by claiming that in 2017, she decided to go back to her lawyer's office and retrieve evidence she'd given them, including a journal, the blue T-shirt, and a cell phone. With all of the evidence in her possession, she then turned the items over to local authorities and officially filed a police report.
Stay tuned for more updates as R. Kelly's sex trafficking trial in New York City continues to unfold.
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