Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Bossip Video Sparkle, the aunt of an R Kelly victim, is claiming her niece is lying on the stand as she testifies about her experience with the singer as a 14-year-old. Are you the aunt who had that child rub R. Kellys head? What do you think about the matter? Sparkle continued, This is another form of the terrible decision-making of her mom and in my opinion, the unfortunate continuing allegiance to Robert.. Singer Sparkle was the only member from the girls family to testify against Kelly in 2008, identifying her niece in the tape. Sparkle replied with a strong denial. I cant help he lies told on me & under oath at the.. & cause ya Momma mad at me cause yall were FORCED to testify.. [shrug emoji]. put a few things in context,. There are a lot of people who are very jealous of me right now and they're trying to destroy me.". Earlier this week, the disgraced singer and his legal team appeared in a Chicago court, where Kelly faces several criminal charges. Sparkle prayed for her niece to one day tell the truth and shame the devil and for them to be a family again. In the recent federal indictment, he was accused of paying off the girl and her family so they would lie for him and not cooperate with investigators. black entertainment news, parenting tips and beauty secrets that are specifically for black women. READ: Report: R. Kellys Former Staffers Gave Feds 20 More Sex Tapes with Minors. It's very upsetting. The Times. Stephanie Edwards (born May 13, 1975), better known by her stage name Sparkle, is an American R&B singer. "We've had contact all along with the girl's family," Chicago police spokesperson Officer Pat Camden said. Absolutely NOT! Modern Movie Musical Essentials. In 2002, Kelly re-entered Sparkle's life when a video that appeared to depict sex between Kelly and a 14-year-old came to the attention of police. In the indictment, Kelly gave the girl and her family gifts, money before and after the trial in exchange for her lying to investigators, being unavailable for interviews and refusing to testify against him. He did say, however, that not all the evidence had been revealed (see [article id="1453299"]"R. Kelly Settles Civil Suit, Defends Himself On Radio"[/article]). "There have been a couple that have come to light that have settled out of court, so that they would not go to criminal court," Sparkle said, referring to Kelly's settlements with Tracy Sampson and Tiffany Hawkins. The singer, real name Stephanie Edwards, alleges that the girl on this videotape was her 14-year-old niece, whom she had introduced to Kelly along with other members of her family, including her . But after the meeting, "There was one side and another side," she said. MTV, EMA and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. 'You just know your family. Since the news of her niece's cooperation has been made public, Sparkle says she is thrilled. She eventually became a key witness in Kelly's 2008 child pornography case, claiming that the young girl in the video in question was her 14-year-old niece. Prosecutors are pushing for another conviction on those charges to add to R. Kelly being sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering by a New York jury last month. "She's my niece. This ongoing R. Kelly trial has caused one of the disgraced singer's former artists to come forward to defend herself. Find a review of [article id="1587729"]the major players in the R. Kelly trial here[/article]. Its impact cannot be overstated and a month later, Kelly was facing new charges in Chicago. Singer Sparkle testified back then that it was her niece on the video but her niece nor anyone else in the family would corroborate her identity on the video tape. Of course Im in full unwavering support of them and their act of courage.. During an Instagram broadcast, she decided to put a few things in context.. Kelly is on trial in Chicago for child pornography and charges that he rigged his 2008 trial to secure his freedom by intimidating the witnesses and using money to make the victim disappear. - YouTube 0:00 / 25:48 Intro EXPOSED: PROOF Sparkle PIMPED Her Niece To R Kelly!| Andrea Kelly. You cant stifle me. | Follow on Twitter: @BridgetEE and IG: @Bridgetee26, Source: MadameNoire.com/iOne Digital / MadameNoire. Sparkle is best known for her 1998 R&B debut hit single 'Be Careful '. Sparkle was Kelly's protge in the 90's. The singer agreed to testify in the 2008 trial and identified Kelly as the man in the video and her niece as the girl. But things have changed since 2008. Though his attorney argued that he was not a flight risk and had appeared at all of his court appointments on time, a judge denied bond calling the case extraordinarily serious.. Stephanie Edwards made a statement to the New York Times: She went on to claim that Sparkle was the one who introduced her to Kelly, saying her auntencouraged her to rub Kellys headand sit on his lap. Sparkle has always admitted to introducing her then-12-year-old niece to Kelly, a decision she has said she's haunted by. Whats your take on it? They would pretty much drop me off and then leave, she said about her parents and the introduction by her aunt. She eventually became a key witness in Kelly's 2008 child pornography case, claiming that the young girl in the video in question was her 14-year-old niece. Singer Sparkle has refuted testimony made by a witness recognized as Jane in R. Kellys criminal trial, where he faces charges for child pornography. According to a federal indictment unsealed last week, Kelly gave the girl and her family gifts and money before and after the trial so she would lie to investigators, avoid questioning, and so she would not testify against him. Kelly faces 14 counts of child pornography -- seven for directing, seven for producing. Though Kelly has talked to local Chicago media about the scandal, he hasn't addressed a lot of the questions people have about the tapes. Since the alleged R. Kelly sex tapes first hit the media two months ago, the primary question has been if the girl featured on the 27-minute tape, currently under investigation by the Chicago police, was actually underage, since her identity had been kept hidden. Sparkle talked about her niece working with the feds and said she couldnt be more thrilled about it. One of the disgraced singer's former artists has stepped forward to defend herself in the ongoing R. Kelly trial. If convicted, Kelly would face the maximum of 195 years in prison. She shared that she feels these are lies organized by her sister as a method of sabotage. With Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith. That's it.". A post shared by Sparkle (Stephanie Edwards) (@isparklei). seek information on a wide variety of topics including African-American hair care, health issues, relationship In our exclusive interview, she shared that the decision cost her the relationship with her family. Unsurprisingly, that testimony did not sit well with Sparkle, who reacted to her neices claims online after someone asked her, Are you the aunt who had that child rub R. Kellys head? he asked. The co-defendants in the case are Derrel McDavid, a former business manager who faces child pornography and obstruction charges, and Milton June Brown, Kellys former assistant, who faces one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. Sparkle, however, disputed the witness account after a social media user questioned her about it. As of now, Sparkles niece and her attorney have yet to respond to Sparkles claim she lied on the stand. CHICAGO -- "Sweetie, I'm not trying to get any money for this!". It's sickening. Sparkle did, however, testify against Kelly when he was on trial for child porn that featured her niece. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, Get our latest stories in the feed of your favorite networks. R. Kelly was later acquitted of all charges. I've been blackmailed for the last four years, and I didn't give in, and I'm still not gonna give in. In court, Sparkles now-37-year-old victim niece told the court R Kelly starting having sex with her when she was only 14, claiming they had sex hundreds of times before she turned 18. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Last week, Kellywas arrested for an additional 13 counts of federal sex trafficking and child pornography charges. Kelly would ultimately be acquitted on charges pertaining to the tape. The woman, who is now in her 30s and had been identified by singer Sparkle as her niece, had refused to testify against R. Kelly in his 2008 trial, which resulted in his acquittal. It's messed up. This encounter disheartened Sparkle and caused her to step back from her career in entertainment. Yes, Sparkle identified the 14-year-old as her sister's daughter and that the girl was engaging in filth with the Pied Piper of R&Pee. The decades-long crusade cost the 46-year-old her closest relationships and stifled her own music career. Black women Chicago police have not charged Kelly, and will only say that their investigation is continuing. Sparkle went on to sign with Motown Records and released a second album, titled "Told You So," in 2000. Surviving R.Kelly: The Final Chapter Sheds Light On Singers Alleged Feces Force-Feeding Ritual And Intimate Footage Of Aaliyah, Jailhouse Drop: Streaming Platforms Remove R. Kelly I Admit It Album, Singer Calls The Pied Piper Prison Production A Bootleg, More Punishment Pending: Pied Piper R. Kelly Found Guilty On Six Counts In Federal Child Pornography Trial, testimony did not sit well with Sparkle, who reacted to her neices claims online after someone asked her, Are you the aunt who had that child rub R. Kellys head? If convicted, he'd have to register as a sex offender. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. Sparkle: Directed by Salim Akil. Muskan Sharma is a law student at Calcutta University. Sparkle: Directed by Sam O'Steen. "Hampton spoke to me and spoke to my management," Edwards continued. Sparkle did cooperate at the time and testified against Kelly at trial, a step that reportedly led to her estrangement from her family for years. 2 on the R&B charts and was certified gold soon after . Get notified about exclusive offers every week! At the time, she and her family denied her appearance in the video and refused to testify. Sparkle claimed that her niece met Kelly when she was 12. She was my heart.". Singer R. Kelly leaves the Leighton Criminal Courts Building following a hearing on June 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Best known by her stage name, Sparkle rose to prominence as a member of R. Kelly's Rockland Records and was the first artist to release a single on the label. Anyway, this tape leaked and Sparkle recognised it to be her niece, other people did too and that's when R Kelly facing his trial of raping a minor, filming it etc was in courts (that tape being the one he peed on her). On Friday, Sparkle took to social media to denounce some of the claims made by her niece on the stand. While a lot of people thinking that Sparkle was the one who introduced her niece to R Kelly and left her there, she explains that there were many other family members more involved than she was. In addition to child pornography, Kelly is facing state and federal charges of obstruction of justice, sexual assault and racketeering. "Like she's a prostitute!" Im beyond pleased to finally hear the mountain Ive tirelessly worked on moving over the years is now being assisted with the help of my niece and her parents! Lets continue to pray for healing in this family. "I know my family. Sparkle, the girl in the picture and a few others confirmed it was said niece, but the rest of the nieces family said it was . The alleged victim on the tape is also the niece of the singer Sparkle, whom Kelly mentored as an artist early in her career. Singer Sparkle was the only member from the girl's family to testify against Kelly in 2008, identifying her niece in the tape. Jurors and observers heard the gory details from the 14-year-old, who disclosed that the singer began grooming the 14-year-old victim and began having sex with her at just 15 years old when Kelly was around 30 years old. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! ", Sparkle wasn't the only witness to get emotional on the stand Thursday. R. Kellys new case may end differently than his last. Celebrate (From "Sparkle") Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks. The victims aunt is a singer named Sparkle, who agreed to testify in the 2008 trial and identified Kelly as the man in the video and her niece as the girl. She began her career in 1998 as a protg of fellow Chicago native R. Kelly. At the time, Sparkle identified the child in the video as her niece. An R&B singer who was once Kelly's protg, Sparkle testified for more than an hour and a half Thursday afternoon during Kelly's child-pornography trial, describing how she introduced her niece to Kelly, how she later came to discover that the sex tape existed, and how that drove her family apart. Sparkle met singer R. Kelly in 1989. Like she said on "Surviving R. Kelly," Sparkle reiterated that she was naive at the . One of the first witnesses to take the stand this week was Kellys victim that was featured on the original sex tape that leaked. For the past 20 years, Sparkle, whose real name is Stephanie Edwards, has been trying to convince the world that Kelly sexually abused her teenage niece. While her immediate family as well as the girl herself have yet to step forward, a former protg of R. Kelly has told a Los Angeles radio station that the girl on the tape is her niece, whom she says was 14 at the time the tape was made. Sparkle first started singing in her fa Stephanie Edwards (born May 13, 1975), better known by her stage name Sparkle is an American RB singer. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting. Fast forwarding to now, R Kelly pretty much got a life sentence plus he still has more charges to face. ET. Whitten Sabbatini for . For full coverage of the case, read the R. Kelly Reports and check out this [article id="1586932"]complete timeline[/article] of the events leading up to the trial. Trivia She writes for Thirsty for News, covering world news and entertainment. FAQ + Create an Account / Login. Twitter Debates 16-Year Age Gap Between Jaylen Brown & Mouthwatering Meemaw Bernice Burgos, Barbie Gyal Nicki Minaj Returns From Hiatus And Sets Di Road Ablaze At Trinidad Carnival 2023, Rain Pon Meeee: Ashanti Reminds Everyone How Feathered And FINE She Was At Trinidad Carnival 2019, Chaka Khan Shows No Mercy Blasting Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey & Other Names On Rolling Stone's 'Greatest Singers' List, Funniest (And Pettiest) Tweets From NBA All-Star Weekend 2023.