R. Kelly was attacked in prison by another inmate.
Shamed singer-songwriter R. Kelly is serving time in jail as he awaits trial for his decades-long sexual assault and child sex crimes. However, TMZ reports Kelly, 53, has recently become the target of physical violence, as he was attacked in his cell by another inmate. According to sources close to law enforcement, the incident recently happened inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. The outlet report that Kelly was sitting on his bed when another inmate walked into his cell and started punching him.
Sources say the inmate was reportedly upset because the detention facility was placed on lockdown a couple of times because of Kelly’s protestors who are demonstrating outside of the jail. While the fight did not last long, Kelly’s lawyers say their client sustained “very minor bruising,” There are no details about how the fight stopped or if a security guard or another inmate got involved. Kelly’s attorney, Mike Leonard, said Kelly was attacked because the inmate wrongly believed that Kelly’s history of sex crimes “had something to do with the lockdown conditions at the MCC Chicago, which they don’t. They are, of course, related to the COVID-19 (pandemic).”
On Thursday, Kelly’s lead lawyer in Chicago said the incident only supports their argument that Kelly should be released on bond while he awaits his trials. He said the inmates and the crowded conditions also make him vulnerable to the #coronavirus. “Regardless, it is time to release Mr. Kelly. The government cannot ensure his safety, and they cannot give him his day in court,” Greenberg tweeted on Thursday. “We should not incarcerate people indefinitely because we cannot provide them with due process!”
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told TMZ that it is not able to comment on any inmate’s conditions of confinement or medical status to privacy and safety concerns. Kelly’s next court date is Sept. 8, over his case in Chicago. His Brooklyn trial is set for Sept. 29, but it could be delayed, according to USA. His Chicago trial is supposed to start in October; however, the pandemic may also postpone that date.
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