R. Kelly’s Trial Begins: ‘We Want to Make Sure That We Have Justice’

The R&B star is accused of commanding a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls to have sex with him.

In the world of R&B music, R. Kelly long stood above his peers, reaching stardom on the strength of his slow jams and the allure of his uncommonly provocative lyrics. But on Wednesday morning, the entertainer’s fate will move into the hands of a jury of everyday men and women, as his criminal trial begins in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. Mr. Kelly faces charges that accuse him of commanding a criminal enterprise that recruited women and underage girls to have sex with him as he soared to onstage success. Prosecutors are expected to offer vivid details accusing Mr. Kelly and those in his orbit of building a decades-long system of sexual abuse. His defense team will seek to cast doubt on the accounts and motivations of the women at the center of the case, as jurors grapple with matters of consent, autonomy and sexual agency.