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After just two days of witnesses, R. Kelly's defense team rested Monday morning. The legal team's surprise decision apparently means jurors will not hear from Kelly's "goddaughter" - the female who allegedly appears in the sex tape.
The prosecution plans to put on two rebuttal witnesses on Tuesday: An assistant district attorney from Fulton County, Georgia, and its forensic video expert who has already testified. Closing arguments are expected Thursday.
The defense and prosecution stipulated to the testimony of two witnesses this morning - personal injury lawyer William "Buddy" Myers and a court reporter. Defense lawyer Ed Genson read the brief stipulations to the jury.
If called to testify, Myers would say family members of the girl allegedly in the tape contacted him about representing them - though he did not possess a copy of the sex tape. The Myers stipluation conflicts directly with the testimony of Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards, the aunt of the girl allegedly in the tape.
Edwards testified Myers contacted her in December 2001, saying that he had the tape. Myers then sent a representative to her home to show her the tape, she said.
The court reporter stipulated to transcribing the grand jury testimony of Bennie Edwards Sr., the uncle of the alleged victim. Edwards Sr. was one of several family members called by the prosecution to testify to the identity of the girl on the tape.
On Tuesday, the prosecution plans to call assistant district attorney Robert Wolf from the Atlanta prosecutor's office. Wolf will testify that the fiance of Lisa Van Allen - who alleged she was in a threesome with Kelly and the underage girl - was not offered a deal in exchange for her helping the Kelly prosecution.
In cross-examining Van Allen last week, defense lawyers pointed out that Van Allen's fiance, Yul Brown, was arrested on gun and drug charges shortly before they reached out to Cook County prosecutors with Van Allen's information about Kelly. Brown got probation.
At one point today, defense lawyer Sam Adam Sr. referred to Yul Brown as "Yul Brynner," prompting Judge Vincent Gaughan to quip, "wrong movie."
The prosecution's video expert, Grant Fredericks, will be called in response to defense video expert Charles Palm ? who said last week there was no mole visible on the back of the male in the tape. Fredericks had previously testified that, when the frames are slowed down, a mole can be seen.
