R. Kelly Assistant Says She Was Reprimanded For Letting His Live-In Girlfriend ‘Escape’

An assistant to R. Kelly testified on Friday (September 10) that she was reprimanded for letting one of his live-in girlfriends “escape” his Georgia home.

According to Insider, Diana Copeland, who worked for Kelly from 2004 to 2018, told the jury in the R&B singer’s Brooklyn trial that she was present when one of his girlfriends “Anna” was angry after an apparent argument with him and left with bags. Copeland said she did “nothing” to keep her from leaving.

Days later, Copeland says Kelly took her to a park in Chicago to talk about the incident.

“Another coworker had called him and said I let Anna escape,” she said.

In her testimony, she said Kelly’s use of the word “escape” made her upset because at the time there were “words swirling in the media” about allegations he had harmed and sexually assaulted women.

R. Kelly is currently on federal trial in New York on charges of running a criminal enterprise where employees recruited women and girls for him to abuse and sexually assault. The singer has pleaded not guilty to all charges.