An odd sidelight to the R. Kelly trial is the fact that the judge, Vincent Gaughan, has taken to holding hearings in secret. The ostensible reason is to avoid tainting the jury pool.

Here’s an example, from ChiTribune reporter Monique Garcia:

Amid heavy security Friday, Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan ordered the courtroom cleared of a couple of reporters, a handful of spectators and an R. Kelly bodyguard. The doors were locked and county deputies guarded the courtroom entrance, ordering reporters to wait down the hallway, well out of earshot.

The hearing then went on for about two hours. R. Kelly was allowed to stay in the courtroom.

Before closing the courtroom, Gaughan said several motions that had been placed under seal would be discussed.

It was unclear how many motions there were and what they involved.

The lawyers are under gag orders, too. The trial is set to begin May 9. How this bizarre case will play out is anyone’s guess. The Cook Country Prosecutor’s office has let the case fester for five years. (The hearing Friday was at least the 114th court date held in the case thus far.) The case is based on a videotape that apparently shows Kelly performing various sex acts with and on a young girl, some of them involving urination. Relatives have identified the girl to newspaper reporters and apparently police; but it has been reported that the girl is question has told police it isn’t she.

It’s not clear whether she will testify or not. While many of the judge’s moves have been secret, it has been reported that prosecutors wanted to use psychologists to testify why a victim like the girl might deny involvement, but those requests were reportedly turned down.

This all creates several unappetizing scenarios for prosecutors: Should they put her on the stand, force her to deny her involvement under oath, and then try to impeach her testimony by bringing on a parade of her relatives to testify that it was she?

On the other hand, people who have seen the tape say that it is well made and clear, so it may be that the jury could view the tape and see the girl and make up their own minds. To make matters worse for Kelly, the notorious tape also includes footage of him having sex with one other person who seems to be an under-aged girl as well, though she has apparently never been identified. It hasn’t been reported whether that part of the tape will be played for the jury.

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Previously in Hitsville:

R. Kelly Sexfacts™, Complete: The Director’s Cut