Pace describes an underage sexual relationship that began when she was 16 (the age of consent in Illinois is 17) and he was 41. She met the singer when she attended his child pornography trial as a fan of his music. Kelly would say hello to her in the court building. "He would always speak to me when he saw me,” Pace says. When he ultimately acquitted, she told MTV that "they can't say he likes little girls. They don't have proof of that. Because he's innocent now. He's free."