R. Kelly’s former girlfriend is cooperating with the authorities investigating his New York sex crimes case.
Azriel Clary, 22, had been living with the disgraced singer – who is currently being held without bail on various sex crime charges – since she was 17 but following an alleged physical fight with his other girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage, last month, she made the decision to leave and has reportedly agreed to speak to investigators about him.
Sources told TMZ that Azriel had been considering speaking to authorities after leaving his home but was initially afraid as she’d allegedly lied in the past to cover for the ‘Ignition’ singer.
However, according to insiders, she is no longer fearful of speaking out because she wants to take control of her life and is fully disconnected from him and his team.
Azriel is keen to help other women who have been in a similar situation, whether with Kelly or someone else, while prosecutors are monitoring threats that have been made against her and her family since she made her decision to return home.
The ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ singer’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg, insisted he wasn’t surprised that Azriel has decided to speak to investigators.
He said: "It’s not news to me. I’ve suspected it all along, but you can’t get in the way of love… Rob’s love for her."
Azriel’s mother, Alice Clary, spoke of her joy last month when she revealed her daughter had "came to her senses" and returned home.
She said: "The battle is won because she’s still here, she’s still alive, she’s still breathing and though she lost a few years of her life, she’s still here to tell her story.
"Because I chose not to keep her secluded in her life, she’s here now and we’re able to say the victory is won because she finally came to her senses and she’s back home with her family.
"People don’t understand she’s hurt. This man lied to her for years, and she was doing what she thought a good girlfriend would do because that’s what she thought she was."
Kelly has denied abusing or mistreating Azriel, but her mother insists she is a victim and has been "stagnated for years" by the singer and still has the "mental capacity" of a teenager.
Azriel Clary cooperating with authorities
