The Cook County State Attorney’s office announced Monday that they will no longer be pursuing a number of indictments against singer R. Kelly.
Attorney Kim Foxx issued a press release announcing that the victims she represents will no longer pursue the case because the disgraced R&B star has already been convicted in two federal courts of similar crimes and “is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again,” according to court video posted by Fox 32 Chicago. The charges, brought forth against Kelly four years ago, were “10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims,” according to the attorney.
Foxx made it clear to the public that her team of sexual assault investigators worked tirelessly on the case and were able to secure an abundance of physical evidence that they confidently believed would have led to a conviction. She noted the decision to drop the case was not made due to lack of evidence or issues with the case.
“Our sexual assault and domestic violence unit sees and hears these survivors and actively work on their behalf to bring them justice. We believe in a victim-centered approach where we recognize the needs of our survivors, and recognize that sometimes justice is served even when there is no conviction,” Foxx said.
Foxx went on to thank her team for their “tireless” work on the case, and credited the victims for their strength and bravery in coming forward to share their stories. (RELATED: Federal Judge Orders R. Kelly To Pay Victims At Least $300,000 In Damages)
An Illinois judge dismissed state sex-abuse charges against R&B singer R. Kelly based on the recommendation of a prosecutor who said she was comfortable dropping the case because Kelly will already spend decades in prison for convictions in federal court. https://t.co/BYBypb90O3
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 31, 2023
Kelly was accused of abusing the four victims, three of whom were minors, according to TMZ.
Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, thinks Foxx made “the right move,” but indicated Kelly is not feeling more at ease after hearing the news.
“There is no real sense of relief. He is still fighting for his life. He is facing decades in prison,” she said, according to TMZ.
Kelly been convicted of child pornography, enticement, racketeering and sex trafficking in a slew of cases in New York and Illinois. He was also sentenced to 30 years in jail in a case in New York. He faces 10-90 years in prison for the Illinois case and is expected to be sentenced in February, according to TMZ.