Friday, September 24, 2021

Defense Attorney Compares R. Kelly to Martin Luther King Jr.

In the closing arguments for R. Kelly's New York sex trafficking trial his defense attorney invoked the memory of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King...

From The BBC 

The defence lawyer said R. Kelly was living a "playboy life" because his record label painted him as a sex symbol. "Where's the crime in that?" said Mr Cannick, dismissing alleged victims as groupies.
"You heard about a man who treated these women like gold," Mr Cannick added. "He bought them bags more expensive than cars."
He invoked King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech: "Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press."
King upheld the Constitution to try to make the government "be true to what's on paper", he said, adding: "That's all Robert is trying to do."
On Wednesday, R. Kelly declined to testify in his own defence.

Kelly is facing 15 years in prison if convicted.