NEW YORK Six weeks and 50 witnesses later, R. Kellys criminal trial is nearing its end.

The trial has been long and, at times, monotonous since its start date in mid-August. The prosecutions witness list was thorough, with 45 people taking the stand including eight former employees of Kellys and 11 accusers, six of whom were underage when the singer allegedly abused them. The defense called only five witnesses, including Kellys former security guard and accountant. Much of the defense witnesses testimony, however, seemed to fall apart under cross-examination.

Kelly, 54, is facing one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The R&B singer faces between 10 years in prison and a life sentence if convicted on all nine charges.

The racketeering charge is at the heart of the governments case against the R&B singer. The charge is an unusual approach to Kellys alleged crimes, but it does have some precedent: In 2019, Keith Raniere, the head of a cult-like sex group named NXIVM, was found guilty of racketeering for crimes similar to those Kelly is accused of and sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Prosecutors charged Kelly with racketeering in hopes of proving that the singer and his entourage including managers, bodyguards, personal assistants and drivers acted like a criminal enterprise that used the singers fame and power to recruit women and girls so that Kelly could abuse them, create sexual abuse images and enslave women across the country.

The R&B singer went on trial in 2008 in Chicago over similar accusations of child sexual abuse but was acquitted on all charges. The New York trial is only the first of his upcoming court battles. Kelly is also facing several other sexual abuse charges in Chicago that are expected to go to trial sometime next year.

This case is about a predator, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jury of seven men and five women during opening statements last month. A man who, for decades, used his fame, popularity and network of people at his disposal to target, groom and exploit young girls, boys and women for his own sexual gratification.

The prosecution started out on a strong note, with searing testimony from several Jane Does and two John Does. However, the prosecutions last witness, an expert in domestic and sexual violence who explained to jurors why victims would stay or return to their abusers after the abuse, didnt seem to pack the punch prosecutors were looking for.

Its been somewhat difficult to cover the trial with limited access to the actual courtroom. The press and public have been relegated to an overflow room down the hall from the actual proceedings where they can watch the trial on two TV screens.

Due to COVID-19 precautions, jurors sit in the courtroom off-screen, which makes it impossible for reporters to see how they react to certain evidence and witness testimony. Everyone in the actual courtroom is also required to wear face masks if theyre not speaking during the proceedings. This includes Kelly himself, which makes it nearly impossible to read his reaction to testimony.

U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly said she implemented the restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, although other recent trials in New York have permitted press and public access to the courtroom.

Only eight people from the public have been allowed to sit in the overflow room every day with the press. Many are supporters of Kelly who believe that many, if not all, of the alleged victims are lying on the stand.

Them hoes is lying, a supporter named Mike, whos been attending the trial, told HuffPost during a break from court. As his Black American brothers and sisters, we believe that hes innocent.

During the trial, the defense team sometimes seemed like they were playing catch-up, despite having nearly two years to prepare. Two of Kellys main attorneys did step away from the case a few months before the trial began. Defense attorney Deveraux Cannick, who stepped in shortly before the trial started, questioned many of the prosecutions witnesses in a style seen often in racketeering or RICO cases: He repeatedly tried to confuse the witness and catch them in lies.

While this worked with some witnesses, including one of Kellys former assistants and a former audio engineer, it felt harsh when he used the tactic on the young Jane Does who described graphic stories of physical and sexual abuse. But, again, reporters were unable to see how the jury reacted to such testimony and cross-examination.

The defense argued in closing statements that much of what the jury heard during trial was simply the playboy lifestyle and dismissed Kellys accusers as liars, stalkers and groupies.

He [Kelly] grew to international fame and international superstardom. And after a point in time, he started living that lifestyle He started living a playboy lifestyle, Cannick said during the defenses closing arguments on Thursday. Where is the crime in that?

U.S. Assistant Attorney Nadia Shihata ended on a powerful note Friday morning before jury instructions were given out. The defendants victims arent groupies or gold diggers, theyre human beings, she told the jury. Theyre daughters, sisters, some of them are now mothers, and their lives matter.

Jury deliberations are likely to begin Friday afternoon after Donnelly finishes giving instructions on the charges. A verdict could come down any time after that.

If you havent been following the case, here are a few highlights from Kellys criminal trial over the past six weeks:

A Jane Doe recalled walking in on R. Kelly sexually assaulting an underage Aaliyah.

One Jane Doe, referred to in court as Angela, testified toward the end of the trial that she walked in on Kelly sexually assaulting Aaliyah when the late singer was just 13 or 14 years old. Angela testified that she walked into a bedroom at the back of Kellys tour bus and saw Robert and Aaliyah in a sexual situation, adding that she saw Kellys head between the underaged singers legs while he was on her knees. She said she immediately closed the door behind her and never told Kelly what she saw.

Angela, who was a backup dancer for Kelly, testified that Kelly was sexually abusing her too, starting in the early 1990s when Angela was 14 or 15 years old.

Aaliyah is the only Jane Doe included in charging documents who did not testify at Kellys trial because she died in a plane crash in 2001. The late singer is central to the criminal case because Kelly married Aaliyah in 1994 when he was 27 and she was just 15 years old in order for her to get an abortion.

Kellys former tour manager, Demetrius Smith, testified earlier in the trial that he bribed someone he knew at a welfare office to obtain a fake ID for Aaliyah to marry Kelly. Another Jane Doe who testified early on in the trial also testified that Kelly told her and a few other women at the time that he married Aaliyah so she could get an abortion.

Eight Jane Does gave searing testimony on alleged beatings, statutory rape and forced abortions.

The testimonies from Kellys accusers were, by far, the most impactful part of the trial. The six women at the center of the governments case were referred to as Stephanie, Sonja, Jerhonda, Jane, Faith and Aaliyah, with the first five taking the stand to testify about the alleged physical, sexual and emotional abuse they endured at the hands of the R&B singer. Three of them were minors when Kelly allegedly started to abuse them.

Many of the accusers described a terrifying environment in which Kelly controlled their every move. Several women said Kelly implemented strict rules that included calling him Daddy, being subjected to physical beatings, and controlling the clothes they wore, what they ate and where they were allowed to travel. One Jane Doe said Kelly punished her by making her smear her own feces on her face and in her mouth as he recorded her.