Former Radio Intern Testifies That R. Kelly Starved And Sexually Assaulted Her

Yet another R. Kelly accuser gave horrific testimony detailing the alleged abuse she endured by the singer as his sex trafficking trial continues.

The woman told jurors on Thursday that she was a 21-year-old radio intern when she was allegedly locked in a dark room for days before she was sexually assaulted at Kelly’s “Chocolate Factory” mansion.

“I was sexually assaulted,” the 39-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, testified, the Associated Press reports. “It wasn’t something I invited.”

She detailed how she pursued Kelly for an interview as a young single mother from Salt Lake City.

“It would have been my very first huge celebrity interview,” she said of her hopes for a chat with the singer. “I thought it would kickstart my career.”

She testified that Kelly paid for her to fly to Chicago so she could meet the singer at his “Chocolate Factory” mansion and music studio. She said upon entry, she was told to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a Kelly associate demanded to know personal information about her family. She noted that she was also asked by a Kelly associate if she needed a condom, the Associated Press reports.

“No, I’m not here for that,” she responded, according to her testimony.

The former intern was told to wait for the “Ignition” singer alone in a dark and windowless room. When she tried to exit the room, she said she discovered that the door was locked from the outside.

“I was scared," she testified. "I was ashamed. I was embarrassed."

She said that she then banged on the door for help and was later told she needed permission from Kelly to leave or use the bathroom.

Jerhonda Pace testified last month that she was 16 years old when she began visiting the “Chocolate Factory.” She alleged that Kelly sexually abused her and that she was once held in a room covered with mirrors on the walls and ceiling for three days before she was given permission to use a bathroom. Other women gave similar testimony and noted that they had to adhere to “Rob’s Rules" at the location which included, among other rules, avoiding eye contact with men. Former Kelly employee Anthony Navarro compared the mansion to the "Twilight Zone" during his testimony in August.

The former radio intern told jurors on Thursday she was locked in the darkened room for two days before she was given anything to eat. She testified that after finally eating food and drinking a soda, she immediately passed out. The witness said that prior to passing out, she “felt something coming over” her, according to the New York Post  indicating that she may have been drugged.

She said she woke up naked with “wet stuff” between her legs and to the sight of Kelly pulling up his pants. It was the only time she saw Kelly, she noted.

 “I know my body," she testified. "I was touched sexually.”

The witness claimed she was held in the room for another few days before she was able to leave and fly home to Utah. She claims a Kelly associate told her to not speak of the incident as she left; she testified that she felt threatened. During a cross-examination, Kelly’s attorney Deveraux Cannick grilled the woman about why she waited years to report the incident.

Prosecutors say the accuser is just one of the many victims that the now 54-year-old has sexually assaulted over decades. They allege he led an enterprise of managers, bodyguards, and other employees who recruited women and girls for his twisted sexual desires. 

Kelly has denied all allegations against him and his defense has described most of his accusers as groupies who only started accusing him of abuse following the #MeToo movement. However, the star has been plagued with accusations about his sexual behavior long before that movement even began. He was accused of child pornography in Chicago in 2002, though he was ultimately acquitted of in 2008. In addition to the federal charges, Kelly is also accused of producing child pornography and destroying evidence in a separate case in Illinois.