The 12-member jury in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago declared R. Kelly, the rhythm & blues star, facing charges of child pornography, not guilty on all 14 counts on Friday.

High-powered defense of Mr. Kelly, who was accused of making a 27-minute sex tape with an under-age female, convinced the jury of nine men and three women that the identity of the girl was not conclusive.

"You need to be 100 percent sure it's Kelly and (the alleged victim). What we had wasn't enough," said one of the members of the jury. “At some point, we all thought there was a lack of evidence,'' a female juror said. The absence of the victim on the witness stand and her family in the courtroom was ``a major lack of evidence,'' stated a male juror.

“Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus,” said Kelly, when the verdict was read out on Friday.

“Robert Kelly wasn't guilty of the crimes he was charged with,'' said defense attorney Sam Adam Jr., who represented Kelly with Chicago lawyers Ed Genson and Marc Martin during the five-week trial.
 
Kelly, who won the Grammy Award in 1997 for the song "I Believe I Can Fly" and whose biggest hits are raunchy ballads like "Ignition," had been facing up to 15 years in prison had he been convicted. He left the courthouse surrounded by bodyguards, without having any words with reporters. He smiled and waved to dozens of cheering fans before climbing into a waiting SUV.