R. Kelly received some support from a bizarre place Wednesday as he walked into a Chicago courthouse: A busload of kids singing "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Heaven, I Need a Hug."
The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES reports that a group of adults led 40 kids (some of whom were sporting pro-Kelly T-shirts saying "We Love You" and "Not Guilty") in serenading the embattled R&B crooner as he prepared to face another hearing in his child pornography case.
"Kids need something to reach for -- they have no role models," Janet Edmond, who helped organize the field trip, told the SUN-TIMES.
Kelly was on hand for a five-minute status hearing at Cook County Courthouse, where prosecutors handed over 73 pieces of evidence to Kelly's defense team, including a copy of the tape that allegedly shows the singer engaged in sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan also opened a package from Warner Bros. containing a videotape of an episode of THE JUDGE MATHIS SHOW, which prosecutors had subpoenaed.
The episode featured Kelly's brother, Carey, who's said to resemble the singer, but it's still not clear exactly why prosecutors wanted the tape. Kelly lawyer Ed Genson says he's not sure why prosecutors wanted it, adding that he didn't need the tape because he knows what Kelly's brother looks like.
Meanwhile, Kelly is due back in court September 20 for another hearing. The Grammy-winner has pleaded innocent to 21 felony counts of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl (the tape has been widely bootlegged under the title R. KELLY TRIPLE-X).
Singer and former Kelly acquaintance Sparkle has said the girl on the tape was her niece, whose name has been withheld because of her age. The girl and her family, meanwhile, refuse to cooperate with authorities or confirm it is her on the tape. (As reported by E! Online)
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