Prosecutors inched closer on Friday to concluding their case at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial, calling two final witnesses to try to further cement allegations he groomed young victims for unwanted sex in episodes dating to the 1990s.One witness was a former assistant for the R&B singer who echoed testimony of other ex-employees describing his mercurial behavior and the control he exerted on everyone around him.The other was an expert witness on abusive relationships who is to return to the witness stand for cross-examination on Monday before the government rests.The expert, psychologist Dawn Hughes, testified about studies showing that many abusers systematically isolate, demean, subjugate and spy on their victims as means of control — all tactics allegedly used by Kelly. Generally speaking, it isn't unusual for powerful people like Kelly to be surrounded by underlings who "knew about it and didn't do anything,” Hughes said.Prosecutors played recordings for the jury Wednesday they say back up allegations the R&B singer abused women and girls.In court papers, prosecutors have described tapes of a profane Kelly threatening violence against victims during recorded rants in 2008.Jurors listened to the recording using headphones. There was no audio for the press and public — already restricted by the judge to an overflow courtroom as a coronavirus precaution — making it impossible to know exactly what the panel was seeing or hearing, or how it was reacting to it.A video feed to the overflow courtroom showed Kelly not wearing the headphones that would have allowed him to listen.The defense was expected to begin putting on its case later Monday, with closing arguments possible before the end of the week at a New York City trial that began on Aug. 18.The 54-year-old defendant, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges accusing him of running a Chicago-based enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other employees who helped him recruit and transport his victims. That alleged travel violated the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport anyone across state lines for the purpose of sexual exploitation.The Grammy-winning artist has vehemently denied the charges, claiming that the women were groupies who wanted to take advantage of his fame and fortune until the #MeToo movement turned them against him.

Five family members from Owen County are dead, after investigators said a wrong-way driver hit them head-on on I-75.The crash happened Saturday afternoon, just south of Exit 104 in Lexington, according to investigators.Now, loved ones are dealing with an unbelievable loss.Family and friends are devastated.A mother and several young children are dead, and a father who was not in the car with them, is the only one left alive."It's very, very hard, and the mere number, five at once, is very hard to handle," Trish Bryant said.It is tough to understand how a midday drive turned into tragedy on I-75.For Bryant, the scene is where her adopted daughter, Catherine Greene, and two grandsons and two granddaughters lost their lives."She loved her children. She would do anything for those children, and you never, ever, ever heard the word stepchild in her home. Her two daughters were from her husband and they were her bonus daughters," Bryant said.She said the love of Catherine's life, her husband, Jon Greene, wasn't in the car. He's the only one still alive in their blended family, full of love.Lexington police were called to the 104 mile-marker on I-75 just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday for a car driving southbound in the northbound lanes.Investigators said Jamaica Caudill, 38, drove a Nissan head-on into the Owen County family's Toyota.Caudill died."They've had a 10-46 fatality involving children. They still have children entrapped in vehicles," a dispatcher said in Kentucky State Police radio traffic.Police said Catherine, 30, Santanna, 11, Karmen, 9, Brayden, 5, and Jack, 2, also died.Traffic was backed up for hours.Krista Larmore, from Celina, Ohio, said she, her husband, their 2-year-old and 5-month-old narrowly missed the Nissan as they were driving home from Florida."It could've been us. It could've been. It just wasn't, you know, and we definitely had some guardian angels on our side," Larmore said.As police dig into how and why this crash happened, there's a father in immeasurable pain."It was difficult coming home because he didn't have the kids running to greet him or his wife to greet him too and he just missed all the noise," Bryant said.A priest in the Lexington area happened upon the scene and prayed for the victims.He said he will be taking charge of making arrangements with the funeral home to help ease the family's financial burden.According to the McDonald and New Funeral Home in Owenton, service information is expected to be updated on Monday. The obituary for the Greene Family can be found here: https://www.mcdonaldandnew.com/obituary/the-greene-family