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R. Kelly’s lawyer denies rumors that his girlfriend Joycelyn Savage is pregnant, despite an alleged tell-book claiming she is. Also, jury selection for his Chicago trial has started and the judge is weeding out people who have watched LIFETIME’s “Surviving R. Kelly.” Deets inside…
R. Kelly is scheduled to appear in court for his federal trial in Chicago next week following his trial in NYC where he was sentenced to 30 years in prison on federal racketeering and sex crimes charges.
But before he goes before another judge, the disgraced singer’s lawyer is shooting down rumors that he’s about to be a dad again.
According to the rumor mill, the 55-year-old embattled singer is allegedly gearing up to welcome a child with his alleged 26-year-old fiancée Joycelyn Savage. Apparently, an author with the name “Joycelyn Savage” wrote a short book - released on Amazon - to reveal the baby news.
In the book “Love and Joy of Robert,” the writer shared she was feeling ill and thought she had contracted COVID-19. Later, she learned she was pregnant, which called “the most amazing news.”
”It was a happy day but an incomplete time in my life," Joycelyn wrote. "Today I am grateful to God for giving me the most precious gift. Robert is extremely excited about the news that I am having a baby and feels sad that Robert will not be able to be here with us."
Hmm…that’s interesting. R. Kelly has been behind bars since July 2019, so if she did, in fact, get pregnant then the baby would have been born by now. We're told inmates such as Kelly don't receive conjugal visits.
Regardless of what the book says, Kelly’s lawyer, JenniferBonjean, claim he is NOT expecting another child. She told E! News Joycelyn is NOT pregnant with R. Kelly’s baby.
Elsewhere in the book, Joycelyn - who was arrested in 2020 for fighting Kelly's victim Azriel Clary - shared details about her and Kelly’s alleged engagement. While Kelly was behind bars, she said his team since her "the most beautiful engagement ring" to her house.
”Tears were raining down my cheeks and I was overwhelmed with joy, but also with sadness,” she wrote. “I wanted Robert to witness this very special moment in my life."
You’ll recall, she wrote a letter to the judge presiding over his federal sex trafficking trial in Brooklyn, revealing she and the “Ignition” singer were engaged and that he’s a “great man” that should be “home with his loved ones who are ready to support him.” Joycelyn wrote the letter on his behalf to request for a lighter sentence, which didn’t go in her favor.
Not long after Joycelyn sent the letter, Kelly - who has denied everything and pled not guilty - was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of racketeering, bribery, coercion, enticement and sex trafficking in September 2021.
Additionally, R. Kelly is still facing several more charges in Illinois and Minnesota, including child pornography, engaging in prostitution with a minor, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and obstruction. As for his federal case in Illinois, the trial is set to begin next week where he has been charged with sexually abusing minors, creating and receiving child pornography, and obstruction of justice.
Jury selection for the trial is underway with U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber questioning more than 60 potential jurors about what they know about the embattled singer and the charges against him as the judge tries to weed out anyone with potential bias. Much of the questioning revolved around whether the potential juror watched LIFETIME’s “Surviving R. Kelly”documentary. The Chicago Tribune reports:
By the end of the day, a total of 34 jurors had made it past the first round of questioning — about six shy of where the judge said he wanted to be before moving on to the next phase.
Of the 63 people questioned individually by the judge over nearly six hours, a total of 29 were dismissed, most of whom reported they would have trouble being impartial to Kelly or his co-defendants.
“Thinking about the case and the charges over the weekend, I no longer firmly believe that I can be unbiased,” one woman said at the outset of the questioning. Leinenweber promptly excused her.
Much of the questioning revolved around the “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries, which many potential jurors said they had watched or had at least heard of.
One woman said she saw the whole thing, but it would not affect her ability to be fair — prompting some audible snickers from a few Kelly supporters watching from the courtroom gallery.
Another prospective juror said he watched part of an episode with his wife but didn’t remember anything substantive about it.
“I think I might have even fallen asleep before the end of it,” he said.
R. Kelly isn’t the only person facing trial in Chicago. Several people in his camp are as well.
Also facing trial are Kelly’s former business manager, McDavid, and another associate, Milton “June” Brown, who, according to the indictment, schemed to buy back incriminating sex tapes that had been taken from Kelly’s collection and hide years of alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
By the way, Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has represented controversial clients such as actor BillCosby and Gangster Disciples boss LarryHoover. We'll see how this one turns out as the trial is expected to began next week.
Photo: AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File
