Pearl's Window

Five more jurors were chosen Tuesday for R. Kelly's child pornography trial in Chicago following a nine-hour process on Monday that yielded three citizens to serve on the high-profile case.

On Monday, the prosecution struck three potential jurors, two African American and one white, prompting defense attorneys to accuse them of intentionally removing minorities from the jury pool. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan, though, rejected the defense's contentions.

The next afternoon, Gaughan made mention of the similarities between the people booted by the defense. "So," the judge said, "all white males."

Kelly's attorney, Ed Genson, "didn't bat an eye," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Genson told the judge: "I don't look at people like that. I see one color."

The three jurors selected Monday are a pastor's wife, a father with two young children and a middle-age black man who describes himself as a Christian.

The father had initially tried to get excused because of a work conflict. He wrote on his juror questionnaire that he believed Kelly was guilty but would keep an open mind. He also admitted he would have problems with the child pornography aspects of the case.

"I have two little kids," he said, "and child pornography is as low as it gets."

The second juror is middle-age African-American woman, whose husband is a pastor. The judge told the woman that the case would involve the laws of man and not God's law and asked her if she would be able to judge Kelly on the law. She answered she could.

The third juror, the self-described Christian, said he believed he could give Kelly a fair trial, though he said he didn't like seeing pornographic material on display. He only knows Kelly because of the hit song "I Believe I Can Fly," though he suspects his kids might know more about him. "I don't know about his reputation," he said. "I know one song that he made."

The fourth juror, chosen yesterday, is a white, female college student who is studying criminal justice in college and told the judge she wants to be a police officer. Both her boyfriend and her father work as security guards. She said she believes in the justice system and wants to make a positive contribution to it.

Rounding out the eight chosen so far are a teacher's assistant, a married man in his 40s, an investment firm compliance officer and a man with prior jury experience. The eight jurors so far consist of five men and three women, and are split evenly between black and white members.