After decades of allegations of sexual and physical abuse, R. Kelly's sentence in New York, announced on June 29, can be described as having been eagerly anticipated by his alleged victims.
Regardless of Wednesday's judgment, the former star will remain in grave legal jeopardy, and any prison sentence he faces might ultimately increase.
In particular, it was reported that he was already sentenced to 30 years in prison, which is 20 more years than his legal team was working for him to serve.
But if 30 is terrifying, the number can still go even way higher after August's trial. The singer appears likely to spend the rest of his life incarcerated, considering his age now.
Mr. Kelly is slated to stand trial again on August 15 in Chicago on federal counts of making child pornography and enticing juveniles to engage in sexual conduct.
It will occur 14 years after his first trial in Illinois, when he was cleared of more than a dozen counts of child pornography in 2008.
Prosecutors now allege that Mr. Kelly and two former employees, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, attempted to manipulate the outcome of the case by bribing witnesses and victims for their cooperation.
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The indictment alleges that one guy received around $170,000 in 2008 to cancel a news conference where he was going to reveal he had video evidence of the singer's illicit sexual activity.
Mr. Kelly and two of his former colleagues have pled not guilty to the charges. Mr. Kelly faces additional state sex offense charges in Illinois and allegations of child prostitution in Minnesota.
The ambiance at the Chicago courthouse could be drastically different from the New York trial, when only a handful of Mr. Kelly's supporters attended each day.
Throughout his career, Mr. Kelly has relied on his strong ties to Chicago, his birthplace, and has maintained a sizeable fan base in the city.
On the day he pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges, Mr. Kelly was invited to perform alongside children at a Chicago church.
The August trial is not likely to have the same mood as his first case. At the time, Mr. Kelly exited the courthouse following his acquittal with his integrity intact. He saluted a huge contingent of fans, who applauded with little opposition from others in the crowd. The complete opposite might happen in this second federal trial.
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