She had told him she was 19, but after their first sexual contact she felt uncomfortable and showed him her state ID card proving her true age. No one got to see that side of me,' Clary added as she fought back tears. As a result of Clary's story being discussed in the series Surviving with R Kelly, she gained wide attention and was eventually featured on the CBS This Morning show. Azriel actually claims this is the reason she, as well as Joycelyn Savage, who is still Kellys girlfriend, nationally defended him during a 2019 interview with CBS Gayle King, only for it to be a blessing. And it combines many of the hallmarks of Kellys alleged criminal enterprise: sex with a minor, some of it videotaped; the strict rules he made his partners follow; isolation from friends and family; physical abuse; and finally, a hefty settlement payout in exchange for the accusers silence. This is all f***ing lies for money,' Clary said two years ago. Despite this, she later spoke out against the singer and opened up about how he allegedly abused her. 2023 EHM PRODUCTIONS,INC. We need to ask why he escaped justice for 25 years., Added @ipicnews: Everybody knew the allegations - so why has it taken 30 years to get justice?. It was January 2010, and she was preoccupied with texting her friend, so she did not notice Kelly entering the room, she testified. She said Kelly had four other girlfriends while the two were in a relationship. So began, in Paces telling, six months of repeated sexual contact with the much older R&B star, and escalating instances of physical abuse and control. From there she traveled to other parts of the country to visit Kelly on tour stops. You are never too old to wake up and say, Hey, I thought this was good for me, but its actually not, she says of speaking out against Kelly. Clary's testimony played a 'key' role in the trial, King said, noting that parts of it were so 'graphic and painful' that the judge didn't even allow some parts to be released. Kelly has for decades faced a multitude of sexual assault allegations; in 1997 Tiffany Hawkins filed the first of many complaints when she alleged he sexually harassed and sexually battered her while she was a minor. Angelo Clary and Alice Clary are her parents. "Zel" known to be Azriel Clary traveled with Kelly for five years, during which he "physically, sexually and psychologically abused her," Melendez said, saying Kelly would sometimes. She woke up with her underwear off, and saw Kelly in the corner doing up his pants, Melendez said. Zel known to be Azriel Clary traveled with Kelly for five years, during which he physically, sexually and psychologically abused her, Melendez said, saying Kelly would sometimes violently beat her on a daily basis and make her have sex with strangers as punishment.. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said in opening statements last Wednesday that Kelly told Doe she was so talented that she would be the next Aaliyah, an R&B singer who became wildly successful under Kellys mentorship. King said that Clary's father knew something was amiss when the 2019 interview aired. Azriel admits it has been a lot of taking accountability and just a lot of forgiving herself in this journey to move on with her life. When the New York trial against R. Kelly commenced in August 2021, Azriel Clary was one of the prime witnesses against him. Courthouse in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2022. Azriel Clary tells Gayle King that R. Kelly "coached" girlfriends to be angry prior to their 2019 interview. She would walk up next to him as he went in and out of court, she said Wednesday. She cried multiple times on stand while testifying that Kelly imposed strict rules, including making her call him Daddy and controlling what she wore and ate and where she was allowed to travel. I believe he even, like, got food and wanted to celebrate. Clarys parents reacted to their daughters music aspirations by offering her access to vocal coaches and lessons. Azriel has found another support system in The Blueprint Group, which manages and distributes her music. Azriel Clary -- one of R. Kelly's former girlfriends -- remains steadfast in testifying against him in his federal sex crimes case despite what her family describes as attempts to scare her away from going through with it. 'That's not what a predator is supposed to do.'. She. My arms, my face, my butt, she said. "Everything that we were living in had become very normal, and I had to break out of that. Initially, Azriel Clary stuck by R. Kelly 's through sex trafficking claims against him. There will be so many untruths told to you that even the government will not be able to untangle the web of lies, she said. It is OK to apologize and forgive yourself, more importantly. Prosecutors say Robert Sylvester Kelly, 54, ran a Chicago-based criminal enterprise for nearly three decades and that he used to 'target, groom and exploit girls, boys and women' for unwanted sex and mental torment. Problem is, this apparently doesn't sit well with many of the singer's fans. The. Azriel Clary, the 22-year-old ex-girlfriend has shocking new claims about the mental and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of the disgraced R&B singer, R.Kelly. I was the only one he wanted to visit him., A post shared by Azriel MostWanted (@azrielmostwanted). In the 2019 interview with King, Clary and another woman, Joycelyn Savage, said they were Kelly's "girlfriends" and claimed that he wasn't abusive toward them. Shannon Thaler For Dailymail.Com, R Kelly's victims were finally freed to testify against him after Brooklyn judge overturned NDAs which paid them up to $1.5M each for their silence, R Kelly, 54, faces 100 years in prison after he is found GUILTY of all nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering: R&B star recruited and sexually abused women, girls and boys over three decades. He gave me a kiss, and he said we would figure it out, she said. Azriel Clary, one of the R. Kelly survivors who testified against him in court, is opening up about a 2019 interview with CBS News in which she defended the disgraced R&B singer. Her secluded life and career, Who are Gradey Dicks parents? He is facing several charges, including sexual exploitation of children, racketeering based on kidnapping and forced labor. The trial is expected to last at least a month. I was just in communication with two of my girlfriends [from school], and he made me text them a very long lie, basically saying why I no longer wanted to be friends with them. For all these reasons and more Angelo says his daughter's stress level is high as she prepares for her testimony, but he's adamant Azriel will not back down. She testified that Kelly gave her genital herpes when she was 17. Why am I exploiting myself for a man who has me in this position in the first place, you know?' Stephanie met Kelly at the Rock n Roll McDonalds when she was a teenager; a year later, when she was 17, he had sex with her over the course of six to eight months, and Kelly filmed the encounters, making child pornography, Melendez said. She stated the following. Clary was one of 45 people to testify against Kelly, who will be sentenced on those charges on May 4, 2022. He didnt like that I was still talking to them he thought that I was keeping things from him, she once revealed. Warning: The following story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse. Clary and Joycelyn Savage said they were Kelly's 'girlfriends' and tried to paint the disgraced singer as a misunderstood saint. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Azriel toldHuffPosther experience with Kelly allowed her to reset and appreciate the value of music in her life. Related: R. Kellys Ex-Girlfriend Azriel Clary Is Calling Him Out On Social Media For Continuing To Request Early Release From Prison. Azriel Clary, one of the women who survived prolonged abuse by R. Kelly, discussed the singers recent Brooklyn trial in an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings. Even scarier Azriel's car was set on fire last year, and just months ago a man pled guilty in the case. "If he didn't like our answer, he would tell us exactly what to say and how to say it. She is 5 feet 5 inches tall (164 centimetres). That makes Pace a compelling choice for prosecutors first witness; but in opening statements, the defense told jurors that such consistent patterns are in fact signs that the witnesses are unreliable making it up because they know the accusations get good play in the media. Azriel's father, Angelo, tells TMZ nobody's forcing his daughter to testify -- it's her decision based on her belief that what Kelly did to her and others is wrong, and she wants to do it for the sake of justice and to show what a monster he truly is. Azriel's father Angelo told TMZ that his daughter's "stress level is high" as she prepares for her testimony. She told King on Thursday that Kelly had coached them on what to say in the interview and had instructed them to be "angry and upset" after he had finished his own heated interview with King. They argued that Kelly, with the help of members of his entourage, used tactics from 'the predator playbook' to sexually exploit his victims. Doe, formally referred to as Jane Doe No. Im so thankful I had that [support system] because I needed that more than anything in life. Until now, justice has been elusive for Kellys victims, some of whom were threatened or paid into silence. We were not able to leave out the rooms, whatever area we were in we could not leave out to meet up It was part of the rules. It wouldnt have been the last time Kelly engaged in elicit behavior with a minor. Clary said she normalized the abuse because she saw other, older women, plus Kelly's assistants, workers and security team, experiencing the same and not speaking up. At the age of 17, she left her parents and moved to the R&B artist R. Kelly. Azriel Clary, one of the many women to testify against R. Kelly, is speaking out further about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the singer. She saw him as a mentor who could facilitate her growth as a vocalist. Amongst them was none other than Azriel Clary. The witnesses said Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. The first on the stand, Jerhonda Pace. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. On Monday Kelly was found guilty of all nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking by a federal jurywhere prosecutors accused him of exploiting his stardom over a quarter-century to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex. , updated Clary also described how she "learned to normalize" the horrific abuse she endured while living with Kelly as a teenager after seeing all the other older women who lived with him, as well as his assistants and security, justify his actions. In 2015, Doe thought she was pregnant. She claimed that after the 2019 interview, when she went back to Kelly's apartment, 'he was so happy'. It is all about finding your tribe and people that actually want to uplift you and your craft.. Some key allegations from the trial include: The guilty verdict followed21 days of evidence including 50 witnesses and hours of searing testimony. niel said the U.S. is on track to apprehend 900,000 migrants at the border this year. Azriel Clary recounts studying she contracted Herpes from R. Kelly and was compelled to abort their baby The Daily Beast experiences Clary's current testimony concerning the five-year relationship she says was riddled with sexual, verbal, emotional, and bodily abuse. And repeatedly, she referred to the witnesses as girls before correcting herself to women, a fraught mistake in a trial that involves repeated allegations of sex with minors. She said Kelly coached her and another woman, Joycelyn Savage, on what to say before an interview with King in 2019, which made national headlines when Kelly got out of his seat and forcefully denied allegations of sexual abuse. He faces decades in prison. Clarys father was right. You guys believe it's a (EXPLETIVE DELETED . Some of these relationships that Mr. Kelly had were beautiful, she said. Courthouse in Chicago on Sept. 14, 2022. AND join ME on my Journey to Correcting my lazy eye! Survivor Who Defended R. Kelly in 2019 Gayle King Interview Says He Told Her 'Exactly What to Say' "Before that interview, you know, he had us practicing every single day," Azriel Clary told Gayle . comedy satire TV-MA Viewer discretion is advised. Pace said she did not recall how many times they were together in Olympia Fields, but it was always at his bidding, and when she was there she had to follow his rules.. I'm caring. 5 will continue her testimony Tuesday, including cross examination from the defense. When prosecutors asked her if she remembered her last day in the Olympia Fields home, her voice grew quiet. Dream Hamptons incredible documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, played a major role in this prosecution, she tweeted. The defense, however,argued that his accusers lied in their testimonies and that Kelly was a 'sex symbol' and 'playboy' who was being attacked by scorned exes and money-hungry fans. Pace is expected to take the stand again for much of Thursday for more questioning from prosecutors. Clary moved in with R&B artist R. Kelly when she was 17 and left her parents behind. Savage and her representatives couldn't be reached for comment Thursday. From what they wore to what they ate, and from their bathroom trips to their sexual experiences whether together or in groups up to five times a day the R&B singer governed each element. The acts presented during disturbing testimony included bribery, kidnapping, forced labor rape, druggings, imprisonment and child pornography. Several said they were told he could help them achieve careers in the music industry. "A piece of me was happy because I felt like this person no longer has control over me, you know?" Sonja was a 22-year-old radio intern near Salt Lake City who flew to Chicago in hopes of an interview; instead she was confined to a room in Kellys studio for three days straight, then fell immediately asleep after drinking a warm Coke his associate handed her, Melendez said. When Azriel broke free from Kellys clutches, she was at an all-time low mentally. "I didn't do this stuff," he said in the interview. despite what her family describes as attempts to scare. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Her testimony painted a powerful picture of a predatory lifestyle. Robs rules, Pace testified. Clary and Joycelyn Savage said they were Kellys girlfriends and tried to paint the disgraced singer as a misunderstood saint. Clary, 23, who was once Kelly's girlfriend has described a graphic sexual act that she alleges took place. Clary told King that Kelly told her to be angry. Some of his accusers were finally able to testify against him during the trial after their hush-money NDAs, which paid up to $1.5million each in exchange for their silence, was overturned by a Brooklyn judge. (Mary Altaffer / AP). She was about to turn 15. She said he punished her in several ways for not abiding by his strict rules, including spankings that would leave bruises. Another time, she said, he punished her by making her smear feces on her face and in her mouth as he recorded her. She told Jason Lee ofHollywood Unlocked: I just felt like, What am I doing If Im not doing music? and thats what comes when youre dealing with someone whos very toxic and youre very young., Kelly swiftly manipulated Azriel, forcing her to abandon her music dream. 'First of all I'm not here to talk about my personal life and I would never share with no one what I do in or outside of the bedroom,' she said. Azriel Clary was one of the two women who defended R. Kelly following accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation. And many of the rules that prosecutors alleged Kelly forced his accusers to follow have benign explanations, she said. Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website. Kelly still faces more federal and state-level charges in Illinois, plus state-level charges in Minnesota. Kellys former physician, Dr. Kris G. McGrath, testified that he began prescribing the singer medication for herpes in 2007, explaining he believed the singer contracted the virus in 2000. The singer faces eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits taking minors across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, and one count of racketeering. But prosecutors in Kelly's ongoing trial argued that NDAs should not keep victims from speaking out and referred to four other federal cases, including a ruling against Bill Cosby in 2016 when he sued one of his victims Andrea Constand for speaking with prosecutors. , 'he was so happy ' Fields home, her voice grew quiet years... And he said in the interview Illinois, plus state-level charges in Minnesota RAINNs National sexual Assault Hotline. Strict rules, including spankings that would leave bruises went back to Kelly 's apartment, 'he was so '... Rules, including sexual exploitation of children, racketeering based on kidnapping and forced labor other girlfriends the. 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