Chief prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez dropped a major bomb regarding R. Kelly and Aaliyah’s marriage in the courtroom Wednesday, August 18.
Wednesday was the first day of R. Kelly’s trial in Brooklyn. He is currently on trial for significant sexual misconduct charges. However, the prosecution team revealed they had other evidence on Kelly and his motives behind marrying Aaliyah. According to USA Today via Yahoo, the prosecution team believes that R. Kelly married Aaliyah for his protection.
The argument
According to a news source, there is evidence that proves that R. Kelly was 27 when he married 15-year-old Aaliyah. Fundamentally this is illegal. And according to the prosecutors, it is believed that R. Kelly may have bribed an official of the government to get the marriage license, contributing writers report.
Why? Because Aaliyah was too young by legal standards. But wait, there’s more.
The prosecutors also believe that Aaliyah was pregnant at the time of the nuptials. And R. Kelly made the strategic move to marry for his protection. According to Ny Magee, contributing writer reporting on the case, the prosecution stated, the defendant decided that he needed to marry Aaliyah. That way, if anyone found out about the pregnancy, about his sexual activity with her, Aaliyah could not talk.
The Law
There is a statute that allows a wife to refuse to testify against her husband. This statue is a spousal privilege. According to Criminaldefenselawyer.com, all states recognize spousal privilege, which comes in two forms.
Federal (and many states) courts recognize two types of spousal privilege:
- Spousal testimonial privilege, barring testimony against a spouse in a criminal trial; and
- Marital communications privilege, barring testimony about confidential communications between spouses.
So if Kelly was aware of this, it could be a strategic move on his behalf. According to the law, he would have no legal standing for prosecution if he married Aaliyah. That is believed to be the basis for Kelly’s decision in 1994. So, then the question becomes, was Aaliyah pregnant.
The defense against the claim
Kelly’s defense team attempted to get the claim thrown out. According to Maria Puente, Elise Brisco, and Cydney Henderson of USA Today, the defense’s argument stood because there is no proof of pregnancy, and Aaliyah cannot speak on her behalf. But, the District Judge struck down the motion to get the claim thrown out. As Puente, Brisco, and Henderson contributing writers note, Donnelly, ruled,
“It’s clearly relevant and it clearly shows a motive for Racketeering Act Number One, so that is admissible.”
A Look Ahead for R. Kelly
With this new allowed evidence, Kelly faces a tough road ahead. Not only is Kelly facing many charges, if convicted on these charges, he could also serve life, according to Karen Freifeld.
For a look back at Aaliyah’s life and legacy, check out our retrospective article.
Renae Richardson
