The child-pornography trial of R. Kelly has been delayed for so long that the underage girl allegedly at the center of it is now a woman.

R. Kelly

Nearly six years have passed since Kelly was charged with 21 counts of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl that prosecutors said was 14 years old at the time. Now, countless delays, a postpartum lead prosecutor, and a burst appendix later, it looks as if the case is set to begin, with jury selection slated for Friday.

Kelly, 41, stands accused of 14 counts of child pornography, which is reduced from the original charge because the statute of limitations for seven of them ran out. He has pleaded not guilty.

The case was hit with two bombshells in recent days. This morning, the Illinois State Supreme Court rejected a motion filed by several media outlets to unseal court documents in the case. The decision is a blow to the media's coverage of the case, as well as a boon for Kelly, whose defense team had argued that making the documents public would hinder his chances of a fair trial.

R. Kelly's 2002 mug shot.

But according to the Chicago Sun-Times, the prosecution is prepared to present a witness who claims that she had a three-way sexual encounter with Kelly and the allegedly underage girl shown in the videotape at the center of the case.

Kelly's lawyers are planning to argue--and the alleged victim will reportedly testify--that she is not the girl in the tape. But the new witness would identify the girl and support the charge that she was underage, the paper reported.

If convicted, Kelly faces up to 15 years in prison. The tape in question was sent anonymously to the Sun-Times in February 2002, and the charges were filed in June 2002.