


CHICAGO — In April 2007, whereas visiting Chicago from Kansas Metropolis for the second time in as many weeks, Keith Murrell thought he was in for a payday.
An assistant to R. Kelly, Milton “June” Brown, confirmed that a lot to him, Murrell testified Friday.
Murrell stated he was in Chicago to finish a take care of Kelly’s enterprise supervisor, Derrel McDavid, wherein Murrell would obtain $80,000 for the return of a video tape that confirmed Kelly participating in a threesome together with his then-girlfriend Lisa Van Allen and an underage lady.
Brown advised Murrell that he had “a golden egg,” Murrell recalled from the witness stand. Requested what he took that remark to imply, Murrell stated: “I knew I used to be about to get some cash for it. That’s how I took it.”
Murrell then took a polygraph check to verify that no different copies of the tape had been floating round. He handed the check, and McDavid — Kelly’s former enterprise supervisor and, like Brown, a co-defendant within the case — then gave him the $80,000 in a bag, Murrell stated.
The second week of Kelly’s federal youngster pornography trial concluded with testimony from Murrell and Van Allen, Kelly’s former girlfriend who testified that she mailed the allegedly illicit tape to Murrell in 2001 as a result of she didn’t need Kelly to have it. Murrell stated he confirmed the tape to a couple pals, however stored it stowed away for six years till Van Allen wished to return it to Kelly.
In 2007, Murrell stated, he copied “a snippet” of the tape onto one other VHS “so I can at all times have a backup in case something occurs.” He then met with Van Allen in Chicago, the place they had been to return the unique tape in change for $200,000, to be break up between the 2 of them.
Earlier than they had been paid, although, they every wanted to cross a lie detector check confirming no different copies had been made. Murrell stated he failed that first check, and McDavid then gave him and Van Allen every $20,000 earlier than telling them to return to Chicago quickly with the unique tape.
“I didn’t suppose they’d know the distinction [between the tapes] on the time,” Murrell stated. “I didn’t suppose they’d understand how lengthy the tape was.”
After touring again to Kansas Metropolis, Murrell quickly returned to Chicago with the unique tape, and McDavid paid him one other $80,000.
Van Allen testified Thursday that, after the tape was returned, McDavid advised her that “they need to have murked me from the start” as a result of she took the tape from Kelly in 2001.
On Friday, below cross-examination from McDavid’s lawyer Beau Brindley, Murrell stated he’d by no means heard about any risk towards Van Allen.
Throughout cross-examinations, the three protection groups have sought to spotlight discrepancies and inconsistencies in sworn statements given by varied witnesses over the past 20 years.
One other authorities witness with immunity, Charles Freeman, testified earlier this week that McDavid gave him lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} to recuperate video tapes that allegedly confirmed the now-disgraced R&B celebrity participating in intercourse acts with a 14-year-old lady.
Murrell and Freeman are two witnesses for the prosecution who’ve testified below grants of immunity.
A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted Kelly, 55, on 13 counts in July 2019, accusing him of manufacturing and receiving youngster pornography, whereas additionally attractive minors to interact in unlawful sexual exercise. Earlier this yr, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in jail by a federal choose in Brooklyn after he was discovered responsible of racketeering.
McDavid Milton Brown, Kelly’s two co-defendants and two of the singer’s former workers, are charged with one rely of conspiracy to obtain youngster pornography, whereas McDavid additionally faces two counts of receiving youngster pornography and one rely of conspiracy to impede justice.
Prosecutors allege Kelly and people in his inside circle paid out lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} over time in an effort to trace down video tapes that Kelly made that allegedly present him participating in sexual exercise with underage victims.