Nicki Minaj Will Not Take the Stand in Brother’s Rape Trial
The child rape trial against Nicki Minaj’s brother, Jelani Maraj, is underway in Long Island, N.Y. On Tuesday (Oct. 24), sources told TMZ that Minaj will not testify on behalf of her brother who is accused of raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter, who is now 14. It was reported earlier that she would appear on the stand but that's not the case.
Meanwhile, during the trial, forensic expert Erika Ziemak testified that Jelani’s semen was found on the 11-year-old girl’s clothes. She maintained that it was “less than 1 in 348 billion chance” that the DNA could belong to someone else. “Jelani Maraj’s DNA profile is consistent with the stain on the pajama pants,” said Ziemak.
On Monday (Oct. 23), The victim’s 10-year-old brother bravely testified against his stepdad. He told jurors how he accidentally walked in on them and saw her pants “around her ankles.”
When asked by prosecutors what happened next, he replied, “I thought it wasn’t right. It looked weird to me, so I ran upstairs.”
The boy also testified that Jelani later found him and slapped him in the face multiple times. “He asked me if I had seen anything. I said, ‘Yes,’" he stated. “He slapped me on the cheek.”
In Jelani's defense, his attorney, David Schwartz, says the allegations against his client were made up by the children’s mother as part of an attempt to extort $25 million from Minaj.