The second installment (episode 3 & 4) of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly certainly broke the whole thing wide open. The premiere episode(s) focused primarily on R. Kelly's illicit relationship with an underage Aaliyah, from which we heard the testimony of several key players who have since broken away from the singer, both business and personal.
Underage Solicitations in "All The Wrong Places"
At the outset of episode 3, we don't find ourselves any closer to debunking myth from fact, but we did learn a few new anecdotes, beginning with the account of his dysfunctional relationship with a 16-year old superfan. So the story goes: R. Kelly allegedly meets a 16-year old Jerhonda Pace at his child pornography trial. She had come out in support. Somehow they meet during or after the proceedings, with R. Kelly allegedly trying to win her over (to his sex ring) with empathy.
Psychological and Physical Torment
“He talked about being molested as well, and he told me he was molested by an older guy in his neighborhood," Pace says in her taped segment for Surviving R. Kelly. After disarming her with childhood story, Pace says Kelly then vowed to claim her virginity, and train her "sexually" - their relationship spilling out of the courtroom and into their private lives. At another point in the episode, Pace talks about R. Kelly penchant for sadism. Apparently, Kelly would starve his victims for days, in order to keep them in check.
"If I was about to brush my teeth, I had to let Rob know. If I wanted to take a shower, he had to know. Then, when guys came around, I had to put my head down, or I had to turn and face a wall," she added.
Accusations of "Murder for Hire"
Another one of R. Kelly's victims, Lisa Van Allen, recounted her shady dealings with his associates, whom she feared were trying to get her killed after she obtained one of his many alleged child sex tapes. "I just didn’t know that there was a point in time where they were talking about killing me," she said. Van Allen made similar claims in 2009 in an interview with Essence Magazine.