UPDATED: Bad craziness at the R. Kelly trial?
The super-secret witness described below is on the verge of getting himself in a heap o’ trouble, the Sun-Times reports:
The mystery witness dramatically flown in from out of state last night by R. Kelly’s attorneys has refused to give his social security number to the prosecution, further delaying the testimony of a potentially crucial state’s witness.
Kelly’s attorney’s talked to the guy last night; prosecutors aren’t done with the guy yet, having gotten hung up on one of those legal technicalities:
[…P]rosecutor Robert Heilingoetter this morning told Judge Gaughan that he needed more time to finish questioning the man. The mystery witness had refused to give prosecutors his social security number, Heilingoetter said. Without it, the state can’t confirm that he is who he says he is.
Judge Gaughan told Heilingoetter, “If he doesn’t give you his social security number, he’s going to be in major trouble. All right?”
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The Chicago Sun-Times says the R. Kelly trial came to a halt today when the defense, Perry Mason style, told the court it had a super surprise witness—so surprising that the defense itself didn’t know about it until this morning.
The implication seems to be that the mystery person might have something to say about the testimony of the witness who was supposed to talk today, someone the defense was probably dreading to hear from.
Gaughan told the courtroom, out of the jurors’ presence, that defense lawyer Sam Adam Sr. informed him that morning of a new witness—not previously on the defense’s witness list—who had just come to light.
“I have no idea what’s going on. But it might be impeachment of this witness” scheduled for this afternoon, Gaughan said, apparently referring to the Atlanta woman.
“The Atlanta woman” is the original witness, who, the Sun-Times has reported, is supposedly going to testify that, while under-age, she’s not only had a threesome with Kelly and the alegedly under-aged girl on the sex tape at the center of the case, but had a film of it.
The defense sounded excited:
Adam told Gaughan the new defense witness is scheduled to arrive this evening at 6 p.m. on a flight into Midway.
“However long it takes, we’ll interview him,” Adam said. “If the state has a fax number, we’ll fax it to them at 2 a.m.”
“We never knew about this witness until approximately 9 o’clock this morning, when the witness called us,” Adam said.
Gaughan said he wanted to give prosecutors time to take the witness’ deposition—a formal interview done under oath before a court reporter.
“I don’t care if the deposition takes place at 7 a.m.,” the judge said.
A local Chicago TV station is reporting that the new character in the trial “might” be an ex-boyfriend of the Atlanta woman.
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Previously in Hitsville:
At the R. Kelly trial, they do things they don’t do on Broadway!
The NYT and R. Kelly: Curiouser and curiouser
The NYT finally notices R. Kelly isn’t a nice guy
R. Kelly and the NYT: The Freaky Defense
Tribune, Sun-Times protest closed hearings in R. Kelly case
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