As news of Janes testimony went public, Sparkle took to social media to refute the claims. Kelly has been charged with multiple sex crimes involving four women, three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged encounters. Surviving R.Kelly: The Final Chapter Sheds Light On Singers Alleged Feces Force-Feeding Ritual And Intimate Footage Of Aaliyah, Jailhouse Drop: Streaming Platforms Remove R. Kelly I Admit It Album, Singer Calls The Pied Piper Prison Production A Bootleg, More Punishment Pending: Pied Piper R. Kelly Found Guilty On Six Counts In Federal Child Pornography Trial, testimony did not sit well with Sparkle, who reacted to her neices claims online after someone asked her, Are you the aunt who had that child rub R. Kellys head? "We've had contact all along with the girl's family," Chicago police spokesperson Officer Pat Camden said. She says "There have been too many girls to count. His whole M.O., he stated this to me not long ago, is he likes them when they are ripe and young because he can mold them into what he wants them to be and control their minds and make them do what women 'should' do. Sparkle's age is 47. "We've had contact all along with the girl's family," Chicago police spokesperson Officer Pat Camden said. Kelly is now facing state and federal charges including sexual assault, obstruction of justice, child pornography, and racketeering. With Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith. Before Fame. She went on to claim that Sparkle was the one who introduced her to Kelly, saying her auntencouraged her to rub Kellys headand sit on his lap. In "Surviving R. Kelly," Edwards discusses Kelly's behavior toward her while they worked together. Sparkle continued, This is another form of the terrible decision-making of her mom and in my opinion, the unfortunate continuing allegiance to Robert.. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. ), "I watched a few seconds of it, and I refused to watch the rest," Adra Gengler testified. Music Videos. Singer who came to prominence in the late 90s through her collaborations with R. Kelly. Sparkle said in disgust. I also did not want that person to be me, Jane testified. Get notified about exclusive offers every week! The young girl who was recorded in the infamous and wide-spread tape of R. Kelly engaging in sexual acts is going back on years of precedence and cooperating with investigators in the child pornography case against the R&B singer. 8771 1829 linktr.ee/sparklelivemusic Posts Reels Tagged Show More Posts from sparklelivemusic Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! It's so very sad.". In 2002, Kelly re-entered Sparkle's life when a video that appeared to depict sex between Kelly and a 14-year-old came to the attention of police. I cant help he lies told on me & under oath at the.. & cause ya Momma mad at me cause yall were FORCED to testify.. [shrug emoji].. Her family would rather keep the matter quiet, she said, even if that means protecting an alleged predator. The Times reports, her lawyer says she is now cooperating with authorities. Our societys awareness and understanding of sexual assault has increased while Kellys funds have dwindled. She previously told the Cut that, when Kelly was producing her first album in the late '90s, she thought the singer could also help her niece, an aspiring rapper, launch a career. Sparkle: Directed by Salim Akil. As you can imagine, all this drama derailed Sparkle's career. Bop Shop: Songs From J-Hope And J. 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Back in 2008, Kelly ended up being acquitted on charges of child pornography. Kellys defense team had argued that the girl and Kelly could not be identified in the tape, and some jurors said the girls refusal to testify made it difficult to convict him. Sparkle, the aunt of an R Kelly victim, is claiming her niece is lying on the stand as she testifies about her experience with the singer as a 14-year-old. In her traumatic account, she recalled her aunt introducing her to Kelly and encouraging her to build a close relationship with the now-disgraced singer. This ongoing R. Kelly trial has caused one of the disgraced singer's former artists to come forward to defend herself. At times sniffling and dabbing her eyes and her nose with a tissue, Sparkle appeared to be on the verge of tears but remained composed, although she also became defiant when Genson had his turn and accused the R&B singer of trying to take revenge against Kelly for terminating her record-label contract. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. For full coverage of the ongoing R. Kelly case, see The R. Kelly Trial Reports. Now lets observe what transpires in the court. One of the disgraced singer's former artists has stepped forward to defend herself in the ongoing R. Kelly trial. It's very upsetting to my family. In the old video footage, Kelly can be seen engaging in sex acts with the young girl, whom he also urinates on. (Genson tripped her up on cross, when she said she was never in possession of the tape, even though her brother and his ex-wife had testified that she was.) You may recall in the 2008 trial against Kelly, the girl in the tape along with her family members refused to testify against the singer. Kelly faces 15 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Activity. ET. One of the disgraced singers former artists has stepped forward to defend herself in the ongoing R. Kelly trial. Meanwhile, Sparkle, real name Stephanie Edwards, has come out in her own defence and claims that her niece has lied on the stand as she did not push her to be involved with Kelly. Singer Sparkle testified back then that it was her niece on the video but her niece nor anyone else in the family would corroborate her identity on the video tape. In an Instagram video, Sparkle called the confusion a family feud and stated that she wanted to put a few things in context., Absolutely NOT!! "She kept coming down with me," she told the station, "which was [a] safe [situation] at the time. The woman claimed that Kelly agreed to serve as her godfather and that her parents had given their blessing. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Whitten Sabbatini for . The girl's mother -- Sparkle's sister -- didn't want to see the tape and didn't want to talk about it, she said. Kelly got emotional during the sit-down and alleged that he is "fighting for his . Sparkle stated that her niece was "doing the will of her mom," who she says has allegiance to R. Kelly. According to The New York Times, the girl in the video is now working with investigators after the disgraced singer was arrested last week on a slew of federal charges, including sex trafficking, child pornography and obstruction of justice. ", Sparkle wasn't the only witness to get emotional on the stand Thursday. Of course Im in full unwavering support of them and their act of courage.. "He made her do [those sexual acts]," she said. As of now, Sparkles niece and her attorney have yet to respond to Sparkles claim she lied on the stand. If convicted, he'd have to register as a sex offender. Prosecutors are pushing for another conviction on those charges to add to R. Kelly being sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering by a New York jury last month. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and exploring new places. SEPTEMBER 17: Singer R. Kelly appears standing beside his attorney, Steven Greenberg during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on September 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Experience Celebrating The Life Of De La Souls Trugoy The Dove, Tennessee GOP Representative Sorry After Suggesting Hanging By Tree For Executions, C-Murder Reveals Hunger Strike, Claims Health Has Significantly Declined Due To Prison Conditions, TikTok Celebrates Visionary Voices In Black Creatives For Black History Month, R. Kellys Sisters Believe His 30-Year Sentence Is Rooted In Racism. The woman, who is now in her 30s and had been identified by singer Sparkle as her niece, had refused to testify against R. Kelly in his 2008 trial, which resulted in his acquittal. While the witness is addressed in court as Jane, her story included identifying details, including that she is Sparkles niece. Sparkle Net Worth: Sparkle is an American R&B singer who has a net worth of $600 thousand. Ivie is a Nigerian-American, native New Yorker, and journalist covering, Report: R. Kellys Former Staffers Gave Feds 20 More Sex Tapes with Minors, R. Kelly Sentenced to 20 Years For Child Sex Crimes, R. Kelly Silenced Aaliyah & Her Family With Non-Disclosure Agreement After 1995 Marriage Annulment, Watch the Trailer For Surviving R. Kelly Part III: The Final Chapter. The Times. 6 2019, Updated 5:51 a.m. Singer Sparkle was the only member from the girl's family to testify against Kelly in 2008, identifying her niece in the tape. Please say its not you., Takeoff Shot in Head and Torso, According to Coroner Report, Aaron Carter Pulled Over On Suspicion Of DUI While Driving RV. When I learned that, I would go out of my way to speak to people just to tick him off. Among things hes already been convicted of, prosecutors accuse him of abusing young girls for decades and filming their encounters. Sparkle's niece who was 14 years old was alleged to be the young girl in the video tape that went viral on the streets before going viral was such a thing. Home. which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts. It's disgusting. This encounter disheartened Sparkle and caused her to step back from her career in entertainment. Yes, Sparkle identified the 14-year-old as her sister's daughter and that the girl was engaging in filth with the Pied Piper of R&Pee. Sparkle, wearing a touch of silver glitter on her face, testified that in December 2001, she got a phone call from an attorney telling her that a relative of hers was on a sex tape she needed to see, at which point an associate of the attorney's came to her home and played her the tape. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting. . This decades-long history of abuse was documented through witness and survivor testimony in the dream hampton produced documentary Surviving R. Kelly which aired on Lifetime this past January. Singer Sparkle has refuted testimony made by a witness recognized as Jane in R. Kellys criminal trial, where he faces charges for child pornography. On the stand, the woman, who is now 37 and identified as just Jane Doe, shared details of how she met Kelly and how they had sex hundreds of times, and he made videos of their encounters which sometimes also involved other minor girls. Flavor Of Love Reality Star Deelishis' Niece Reportedly Killed in Mass Shooting; Baddies West Season 3 Fights: Stunna Girl vs. Everybody; 50 Cent Inks Non-Exclusive Broadcast Deal With Fox; Cardi B & Offset Meal Launches at McDonald's on Valentine's Day; Leilani Capalot - T Shirt Music Video & BTS | Video Zone "Like she's a prostitute!" I'm happy to see the #MeToo movement and Time's Up movement are backing these women. ", Though it's causing division within her family, Sparkle said that she's aiding the Chicago police investigation. Latest dancehall and hip hop news and music at your fingertips. The video was of a man urinating on a little girl while she called him daddy. Kids edition - Orlando And Sparkle. You cant stifle me. She would go on to release a successful self-titled album in 1998, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts. Chicago police have not charged Kelly, and will only say that their investigation is continuing. Its impact cannot be overstated and a month later, Kelly was facing new charges in Chicago. Without Wayne Shorters Weather Report, Jazz Rap Wouldnt Be What It Is, Fans Are Overjoyed to See De La Soul Albums on DSPs, 9 New Hip-Hop & R&B Albums You Should Be Listening To (Week of March 3), Larry June & The Alchemist Announce Joint Album The Great Escape. Sparkle, real name Stephanie Edwards, also positively identified R. Kelly as the man on the tape engaging in illegal sex with her 13-year-old niece. Genson accused Sparkle of being bitter and characterized the end of her working relationship with Kelly as a firing. According to . Sparkle Live Music (@sparklelivemusic) Instagram photos and videos sparklelivemusic 731 posts 1,870 followers 467 following Sparkle Live Music Musician/band We play your dream music soundtrack Put a Sparkle in your big day. Advancing the culture and building bridges. Fourteen witnesses had identified the girl in the video during the 20018 trial, but she and members of her family did not testify. Sparkle has openly confronted the fact that her niece has lied about her in court. Though she hadn't witnessed anything between Kelly and her niece that could be considered inappropriate, Sparkle said she saw hints of things that she didn't want to acknowledge at the time, "little hints of something, little touches," that in hindsight concerned her. A post shared by Sparkle (Stephanie Edwards) (@isparklei). She began her career in 1998 as a protg of fellow Chicago native R. Kelly. The long-running criminal case of R. Kelly consistently takes strange turns that leaves fans perplexed and for which the case becomes more complicated. "She's doing exactly what he told her to do. FAQ + Create an Account / Login. One of those relatives, singer Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards, testified Thursday that she had introduced the alleged victim to Kelly, and that the girl called him her "Godfather." Sparkle is best known for her 1998 R&B debut hit single 'Be Careful '. Are you the aunt who had that child rub R. Kellys head? Her family eventually began to allow her to visit with Kelly without an adult present. Bossip Comment Policy During an Instagram broadcast, she decided to put a few things in context.. "But until our investigation is complete, we can't confirm or deny that [Sparkle is the girl's aunt]. 3 min read Singer Sparkle has refuted testimony made by a witness recognized as "Jane" in R.. In our exclusive interview, she shared that the decision cost her the relationship with her family. The video was of a man urinating on a little girl while she called him daddy. Singer who came to prominence in the late 90s through her collaborations with R. Kelly . So I feel a responsibility for that also, although I'm not responsible for his actions, I feel responsible for even taking her there. Stay tuned to Thirsty for more updates. If convicted, Kelly would face the maximum of 195 years in prison. Please say its not you., Sparkle replied, Absolutely NOT! In 2001, the singer Sparkle (seen above in the 2019 Lifetime series Surviving R Kelly), whose real name is Stephanie Edwards, went public with allegations that R Kelly sexually assaulted her niece . "It's crazy and torn up, in every way imaginable," she said. But I didnt know that a bomb was coming.. But after R. and I parted ways, it was me not watching over her. Since the news of her niece's cooperation has been made public, Sparkle says she is thrilled. For years, Sparkle has made claims about Kelly allegedly abusing her niece . "You couldn't break the chain with us. Robert didnt allow pretty much anyone to speak to me, Edwards alleges in the new show. Sparkle claimed that her niece met Kelly when she was 12. Sparkle prayed for her niece to one day tell the truth and shame the devil and for them to be a family again. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), singer began grooming the 14-year-old victim and began having sex with her at just 15 years, Prosecutors are pushing for another conviction, R. Kelly being sentenced to 30 years in prison, R. Kelly and Joycelyn Savages Father Denies She Gave Birth To His Baby, R. 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