On Tuesday, day nine of the criminal trial against R. Kelly in Brooklyn federal court, a fifth accuser took the stand where she revealed she had been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease by the disgraced R&B singer—even though she claims not to have been a fan of him or his music.
According to witness testimony per USA Today, “Faith” testified she and her half-sister first met Kelly backstage at a concert in San Antonio when she was 19 years old. She explained that her sister wanted to attend the concert because she was a fan of Kelly’s, but Faith, herself, was not. This meeting, as she described, was the beginning of a “brief relationship” with Kelly that, like previous witness testimony, turned sexual in nature very quickly. Though she was initially able to dodge his demands for sex, she says Kelly ultimately still exposed her to an STD.
More from USA Today:
The sisters were invited to a backstage after-party, thus beginning what she described as a brief relationship. Her testimony suggested the relationship included elements that match those described by earlier witnesses who testified they were sexually abused by Kelly when they were in high school.
Kelly paid for Faith’s flights and hotel rooms to attend his concerts in cities where he demanded sex from her. A prosecutor asked whether he told her he had herpes or wore condoms. “No, he did not,” she responded.
Earlier in the trial, the jury heard Kelly’s personal physician describe treating him for herpes for several years and from other witnesses who claimed he gave them herpes from unprotected sex.
One of Kelly’s former assistants, Suzette Mayweather, also took the stand on Tuesday and described the strict house rules for Kelly’s “girlfriends.” Similar to Jerhonda Johnson Pace’s testimony on day one of the trial, per Insider, Mayweather explained how the girls were required “to wear baggy clothes, were not permitted to look at or interact with other men, and could not use the bathroom without his permission.”
Additionally, Mayweather also described an incident where, during a birthday party at Kelly’s studio in downtown Chicago, he became agitated at his “girlfriends” because they were “twerking for cake” and forced them to “fight among themselves” as punishment. During cross-examination, Kelly’s defense lawyer questioned Mayweather on whether or not she believed twerking was a “vulgar dance” and whether she had heard of “dropping” but had to renege upon prosecutors objections.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24 hours at RAINN.org or 1-800-656-4673.