R. Kelly Has Once Again Asked To Be Released From Jail Because Of Coronavirus

April 17, 2020 / Posted by:

R. Kelly wants the Tekashi 6ix9ine special!

R. Kelly has once again asked to be released from jail over fears that he’ll catch coronavirus. He is currently awaiting trial to face many gross charges for sex trafficking, underage sex, etc. He’s been charged in New York, Illinois, and also Minnesota. He’s in a Chicago jail cell right now, and last month, his lawyers requested for him to be released into home confinement, because he knew that his social distancing efforts would probably prove ineffective. U.S. District Judge Anne Donnelly denied that request. But his lawyers decided to try again and yesterday filed an emergency request for his release. He spent all that time in a closet but now he’s getting stir crazy?

Billboard says that this time, his lawyers argued that coronavirus has in fact reached the Chicago facility where R. Kelly is being held. Six inmates and seven staff members have tested positive for corona. His attorney, Michael Leonard, wrote:

“Mr. Kelly is experiencing tremendous stress and anxiety in light of the recent COVID-19 developments. Inmates are reportedly banging on doors, walls, and windows begging for help. The only thing the MCC has done is lock things down, making conditions feel more like solitary confinement: and possibly, because of the nature of this virus, locking in healthy inmates with those who already have the virus but who may not yet be symptomatic.”

Michael Leonard went on to argue that R. Kelly is not a flight risk and that he definitely wants to see his day in court to prove his innocence. Good luck with that one (actually I wish you bad luck with that one):

“Additionally, and possibly more importantly, Mr. Kelly’s entire professional life depends on his exoneration from the current charges pending against him. Mr. Kelly’s present confinement, when coupled with the dramatically changed circumstance at the MCC, make it virtually impossible for he and his counsel to prepare for trial in any meaningful way. Not only is he on virtual lockdown, Mr. Kelly now gets one phone call per week. His attorneys cannot visit him.”

When Judge Anne Donnelly declined R. Kelly’s last request for release, she wrecked his team with this:

“The defendant is fifty-three years old, twelve years younger than the cohort of “older adults” defined by the CDC as high risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Although the defendant has had surgery during his incarceration, he does not explain how his surgical history places him at a higher risk of severe illness.”

She also called bullshit on him not trying to flee or even intimidate witnesses. Meanwhile, he’s going to be in jail quite a while longer if he gets denied again, because his New York trial has been postponed.

Page Six says that September 29 is the new date for R. Kelly’s trial for racketeering, sex trafficking and more. The original date was in July. His Chicago trial was also pushed to October. But R. Kelly’s lawyers say that his trials will probably be pushed back further due to coronavirus. They say that they can’t visit him in jail and won’t have enough time to prepare. Douglas Anton, another one of his lawyers, said:

“It’s impossible that that date is going to happen.”

Honey, if you don’t have a defense of R. Kelly by now you are in trouble. What have you been working on all this time? That Gayle King interview was well over a year ago! Also, Harvey Weinstein survived coronavirus, so maybe sex predators have a good recovery rate? In that case, R Kelly will be more than fine.

Pic: YouTube

Our commenting rules: Don't be racist or bigoted, or post comments like "Who cares?", or have multiple accounts, or repost a comment that was deleted by a mod, or post NSFW pics/videos/GIFs, or go off topic when not in an Open Post, or post paparazzi/event/red carpet pics from photo agencies due to copyright infringement issues. Also, promoting adblockers, your website, or your forum is not allowed. Breaking a rule may result in your Disqus account getting permanently or temporarily banned. New commenters must go through a period of pre-moderation. And some posts may be pre-moderated so it could take a minute for your comment to appear if it's approved. If you have a question or an issue with comments, email: michaelk@dlisted.com

src="https://c.statcounter.com/922697/0/f674ac4a/1/"
alt="drupal analytics" >