It was just a week ago that R. Kelly‘s request to be released from prison during the Coronavirus pandemic was denied. The r’n’b singer’s dark past finally caught up with him this past year, with a history of sexual abuse and underage girls coming to light. Now, he’s currently locked up at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center, awaiting trial.
On Thursday, Kelly’s lawyer renewed the singer’s request to be released from prison, citing six inmates and seven staff members who’ve tested positive for Coronavirus in the same facility he’s in. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly originally denied the request, saying that Kelly posed a flight risk, on top of her concern that he may intimidate witnesses, considering his past efforts to do just that.
Per Variety, Kelly’s lawyer, Michael I. Leonard, wrote in his request, “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.”
Leonard went on to cite that nationwide, 500 inmates have tested positive– “Based on all of the above, that Mr. Kelly will be infected with this deadly disease, is now unfortunately an absolute probability,” he stated.
Finally, he attempted to make a case for Kelly not being able to flee the country if he were released. Kelly’s attorney said that he “would be perhaps the most obvious and recognizable person on the streets of Chicago, or anywhere else in the country, in light of the severe stay-at-home restrictions that are and will continue to be in place and enforced.”
We’ll keep you updated on this latest request.
