R. Kelly’s lawyer has filed an emergency motion after the disgraced rapper was allegedly “nearly killed” by prison staff who allegedly intentionally gave him an overdose of medication
Disgraced musician R. Kelly is using his recent health crisis to support his latest bid to be released from prison early. The 58-year-old singer who is serving 30 years in a North Carolina prison for sex trafficking and racketeering – was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a near-fatal overdose in prison.
According to a new filing by his attorney, Beau Brindley, Kelly – whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly – was placed in isolation on June 10 with his anxiety medication.
After being given more medication by prison staff, he lost consciousness three days later and was taken to Duke University Hospital on June 13. After two days under observation, he was taken back to his cell.
The attorney shockingly claims that officers intentionally “gave him an amount of medicine that could have killed him.” He said in the documents: “This was no mistake. It was a dose that jeopardised his life and nearly ended it.” Brindley subsequently filed an emergency motion for Kelly’s early release from prison. It’s a third attempt to get his client out from behind bars.
Desperate plea to Donald Trump
Kelly is already seeking clemency from US President Donald Trump as he allegedly fears for his life in federal prison. The shamed rapper’s attorney filed an emergency motion alleging three officials from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) plotted to murder him while incarcerated.
Brindley told People: “We believe that President Trump is the only person with the courage to help us.” Kelly’s legal team hopes a pardon or commutation might be granted by Trump.
“The president understands what it’s like to be victimized by Obama and Biden era prosecution teams’ intent on destroying public figures. He experienced that himself,” Brindley continued in his comment to the American publication, comparing his disgraced client to the current US President.
Brindley added: “Immediately after our motion became public, Robert was thrown into solitary confinement. He cannot make phone calls to his family. He has no access to commissary. He has spiders crawling over him while he tries to sleep.”
The fallen performer, who was a long-time resident of Trump Towers in Chicago, does not have a personal relationship with the president but his legal team said discussions intensified with people close to Trump since the motion was filed.
Last month, Trump said he would consider pardoning Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who faces similar federal charges. Trump said: “If I think someone was mistreated it wouldn’t matter whether they like me or don’t.” Trump is yet to comment on Kelly’s situation.
Inmate’s murder plot
Kelly is reportedly afraid to eat prison food over fears it might be poisoned, according to his lawyer. The emergency motion included a declaration from inmate Mikeal Glenn Stine, who alleged he was asked to kill Kelly by three high-ranking BOP officials.
Stine, who claimed membership in the Aryan Brotherhood and said he was once a commissioner with the group, stated prison officials arranged his transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution Butner in North Carolina – where Kelly is also held – and placed him in Kelly’s unit.
In return for carrying out or arranging the murder, Stine alleged he was promised an escape from custody and the chance to live as a “free man”. Stine also claimed he has terminal cancer and later told Kelly about the plot, stating he no longer intended to go through with it.
Brindley added about Kelly’s situation: “He is not safe in federal custody. And to keep him in prison while he is under threat like this is cruel and unusual punishment.”
Health issues
Kelly’s legal representatives also claim the jailed singer is suffering from health issues inside prison but allegedly not getting the medical attention he requires. Kelly’s solicitors detailed how their client had been suffering from a swollen leg for several months, a condition that was particularly alarming given his history with blood clots.
Despite repeated pleas for medical assistance, they claim he received inadequate and delayed responses. Earlier this year, it was alleged that Kelly was scheduled for a scan to check for blood clots, but instead, “He was then told by prison medical staff that they were only authorized to advise him that he would no longer be receiving blood thinners,” according to the legal filing. He was taken off of blood thinners at that time.”
His legal team has voiced grave concerns over this decision, made within the last three months, which they believe significantly increases the risk of severe health issues for Kelly.
Following a stint in hospital, Kelly was ejected from Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, against medical advice, the court documents allege.
In a statement issued to other media outlets, the Bureau of Prisons stated: “For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues.”
Kelly remains behind bars at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, since his 2022 incarceration. In June 2022, the former R&B icon faced a landmark 30-year prison term in New York after being found guilty of racketeering and trafficking for sexual purposes.
Come February 2023, things escalated as he received another 20 years during his Chicago trial, on charges of child pornography and enticement of minors for sex, although he’ll serve most sentences concurrently, looking at parole only by 80. Despite all charges, Kelly consistently protests his innocence.
* If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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