On Monday night, BuzzFeed News published yet another damning story in its ongoing investigation of R. Kelly. A month after bringing to light allegations that the R&B star was running a sex “cult” consisting of a number of young women, another former fan has come forward with claims that she started a sexual relationship with Kelly when she was still a minor.
Jerhonda Pace, now 24 years old, alleges she first met Kelly outside of the courthouse of his child pornography trial in 2008. Back then, Pace was only 15 and a self-proclaimed superfan of the singer, defending him in several news segments that covered the case. Kelly, then 41, noticed the teenager in the crowd, and after he was acquitted, reportedly had someone in his crew reach out to Pace via MySpace. He later invited her to his home in suburban Illinois, and from there the two started a sexual relationship, even though Pace claims he didn’t know she was underage. She told him that she was 19.
Much like previous reports on Kelly’s behavior, Pace says that she, too, was filmed engaging in sexual acts without her consent, forced to relinquish her cellphone whenever she was in Kelly’s home, instructed on how to dress, and had to ask for permission to shower, eat, and use the bathroom. She also alleges that she eventually revealed her real age to Kelly, who asked her to lie and continue saying she was 19 to anyone who asked.
Pace finally left Kelly’s house after a disagreement that turned physically abusive, in which she claims that she was “slapped and I was choked and I was spit on.” She sued the singer, and later settled after he paid her an undisclosed amount for signing a nondisclosure agreement. BuzzFeed reportedly has extensive documentation that backs up her story.
According to Pace, it wasn’t until she read the recent BuzzFeed story on Kelly’s alleged cult that she decided to break the agreement and finally come forward. “I know speaking out against Kelly, Kelly could sue me. But I’m really not worried about it anymore,” she said. “I feel like this is a healing process for me, because I’ve been holding this in for so many years, and to see that he always gets away with it, it’s just not right. I’m just going forward with my head held high.” One can only hope that Pace’s courage will serve as an example to other women out there who have been too afraid to speak out. Representatives for Kelly have denied Pace’s allegations.
