R. Kelly is asking a judge to release him from jail while he awaits trial, with his lawyers arguing that he is not a danger to the community.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to federal and state sex crime charges in multiple jurisdictions. He is being held in federal custody, and none of those cases had gone to trial at the time of this report.
According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, filed by Kelly’s legal team on Friday, the defense says he has now shown by clear and convincing evidence that he does not pose a danger to the community. The filing says the March 6 hearing on the question was a close one, and that apart from the arrest at issue in the alleged supervised release violation, he has no violent background, with no prior convictions involving violent conduct or gun charges.
Baller Alert previously reported that Kelly’s team also asked for his release because of the risks the coronavirus poses to people in jail. The defense described jail as a difficult place to practice social distancing, citing shared spaces, limited hygiene and constant contact with staff.
Officials and prosecutors responded that inmates are provided soap and other hygiene products. Kelly’s lawyers countered that the measures being taken by the Bureau of Prisons are inadequate, pointing to shared surfaces like faucets, doors and meal trays. The judge had not ruled on the new request at the time of this report.
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