R. Kelly Trial Juror Suffers Panic Attack During Closing Arguments: 'Can't Go On One More Minute'

A juror in R. Kelly's federal trial in Chicago on charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice suffered a panic attack while prosecutors and defense attorneys were presenting closing arguments Monday.

The juror, a white woman, was excused from the proceedings by the judge, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jon Seidel tweeted.

Judge Harry Leinenweber said he was told that the unidentified woman "can't go on one minute more," according to the journalist.

The juror works for a public library and has not seen the 2019 docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly," which tackled the history of sexual abuse allegations against the 55-year-old singer, Seidel reported.

She was reportedly replaced by a white man who also said he has not seen "Surviving R. Kelly."

The switch came after Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Pozolo and a defense attorney gave their closing arguments, NBC News reported.

Pozolo told jurors Monday that Kelly committed "horrible crimes against children" and tried to cover up his actions with the help of his business partners.

Co-defendants Derrel McDavid, Kelly's former business manager, and Milton "June" Brown, an associate of the singer, are accused of conspiring with Kelly to intimidate and bribe witnesses and to cover up evidence in a 2008 trial on child pornography charges in Cook County, Illinois.

After the juror switch Monday, the trial continued, with Brown's attorney Mary Judge kicking off her closing argument by claiming, "The government, in this case, has failed miserably to prove knowledge," Seidel reported.

"Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is not just language. The government has to prove that Milton Brown knew beyond a reasonable doubt what the [child pornography] videos depicted," the lawyer said, according to the journalist. "Carrying R. Kelly's bags, even if they did contain child pornography videos, is not enough if Milton Brown had no knowledge of what was on the tapes."

Brown's attorney also argued that there was "no explanation" why her client would commit a "reprehensible crime" for Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, and that there was no bond between Brown and the singer.

Meanwhile, McDavid's lawyer Beau Brindley questioned the credibility of the two witnesses, "Jane," Kelly's goddaughter who said she was sexually abused by the singer hundreds of times from the time she was 14 until she turned 18, and Jane's mother, who used the pseudonym "Susan." Jane testified last month that she was in the graphic videotapes of alleged abuse shown to the jury.

Brindley also claimed that McDavid was not alone in covering up the crimes, naming Gerald Margolis, Edward Genson, Jack Palladino and John Touhy as among those involved.

The trial is expected to end this week after four weeks of testimonies and arguments in Chicago. However, before the jurors begin deliberating Tuesday, Kelly's defense team and federal prosecutors would be having one more showdown, Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's defense attorney, will have two hours to give her closing argument, while the federal prosecutors will have at least one hour to deliver their final defense Tuesday.

In June, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison following his conviction last year on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges stemming from his efforts over years to use his fame to ensnare victims he sexually abused.