Man, I feel sorry for the prosecution in the R. Kelly trial. They’ve got three family members of the victim who swear she’s in the sex tape, while the defense has three that swear she isn’t. And she swears she isn’t. And the hairbraider with tales of freaky three-ways between Kells and the victim? The defense has a witness who claims her fiance said she’d change her testimony for $350,000. Can the defense witnesses be trusted? Does it matter? Not being able to get the alleged victim or half her family to admit she’s on the tape seems like it could leave some reasonable doubt for a jury that didn’t know the victim back when the trysts were allegedly videotaped. Meanwhile, The Sun-Times has published an interview between the excused-from-testifying Jim DeRogatis and Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards that occurred six years ago, around the time they both first saw the infamous tape. DeRo’s queries are oddly riddled with multiple question marks, but Sparkle still does a good job painting a portrait of a total creep.

Q. [Your niece] would have turned 17 this past September. You said she looked 15 when this was done.

A. She’s probably 14, ’cause the hairdo and everything.

Q. Why do you place it back that far?

A. By looking at the hairdo. And when I saw it the first time, listening to the background, I remember the music, what was being played. I just remember the Backstreet [Boys] song, and I try to remember when that was out. She looks about 14.

…Q. When did you think he might be doing this???

A. I knew the history. Was told of the history, never seeing anything. I just was always like, “C’mon, [R.].” Whenever she was around, I was, “C’mon, c’mon.” Just knowing how he is, I just felt if I wasn’t around, he was going to watch her. With MY niece. I don’t want anything like that to happen to her. I know he would possibly do to other girls.

Q. You got a call from who, who wanted to show you the tape???

A. Don’t know. They came to my place and me, being crazy enough to know if it was my niece, I let the guy come in and show me.

Q. They wanted you to I.D. so they could shake him down?

A. I don’t know what they wanted, if they wanted money, but I’m assuming that’s what their M.O. was.

…Q. How many girls you think he’s done that to?

A. Too many to count probably. They definitely have to be young. His whole M.O., he stated this to me long ago, he likes them when they are ripe and young because he can mold them into what he wants them to be, and control their minds and make them do what women “should” do. That’s what he thinks you know, be a servant, be the “yes.” She’s on there calling him Daddy. What kind of daddy would do this to their daughter? Makes me wonder what he may do to his kids.

…Q. How can you say she’s 14 there?

A. I can’t say with certainty. But with the hairdo. She doesn’t have her hair like that now. She wears braids now. And by this tape, it looks like she’s been doing it longer than 14. It’s definitely a plan, a script, she’s used to it, she’s like, “Now I have to do this.”

You know, it’s pretty tragic if a recidivist statutory rapist can get off the hook because witnesses either take money from him or only testify after they’ve failed to successfully blackmail him.

Three witnesses say their relative is not the girl on tape [Chicago Sun-Times]
Lisa’s fiance solicited payoff, Exhibit 95 says [Chicago Sun-Times]
‘He likes them when they are ripe . . .’ [Chicago Sun-Times]