DENIED! R. Kelly Won't Be Released Despite Coronavirus Crisis
On Tuesday, a Brooklyn judge denied the request made by R. Kelly.
The singer requested an early release from prison, citing his fear of contracting the coronavirus while in jail. However, the judge said that R. Kelly was not among the inmates that were considered most endangered by the disease.
Staying In Jail
R. Kelly is currently being held at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center while awaiting his trial. He has been charged for racketeering, sexual misconduct, and several other charges in three other jurisdictions.
On March 26, the lawyers of the singer asked for him to be released. Their request came with two reasons: first, they cited that he is already 53 years old, which put him within the range of those at high risk for possibly contracting the disease.
Second, they noted his recent surgery as a risk factor making him susceptible to the illness.
However, on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly denied the motion of R. Kelly as he remains a flight risk.
"The defendant is currently in custody because of the risks that he will flee or attempt to obstruct, threaten or intimidate prospective witnesses," Donnelly wrote to explain her decision. "The defendant has not explained how those risks have changed."
Kelly's lawyers have asked the court that he be placed in home confinement instead. They plan to put him at the Roosevelt Collections Loft apartment complex in Chicago.
The request his attorneys made on his behalf, sadly, has failed to explain how his circumstances have changed. The singer has been considered a flight risk since the beginning of his incarceration.
Despite the risk of the coronavirus spreading faster in prison, the judge pointed out that R.Kelly has a higher risk of flight.
More Legal Issues To Battle
In addition to the initial reasons they cited for the request, Kelly's attorneys have also made a statement about how the new prison restrictions to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus have gravely affected their communications with the singer.
They said that it has become even more impossible for them to meet with him to prepare for his trial.
Steve Greenberg and Tom Farinell, Kelly's attorneys, have also included in their motion a long list of other defendants who have made a request for home confinement and was granted an early release due to the growing concern of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They argued that the request they made was not to provide an easy way out for inmates.
"This is not a request to open the doors and allow all inmates out, this is a specific request concerning a specific inmate," they said.
As a defense, the government noted that MCC Chicago also does its share to keep the inmates safe from the coronavirus while on their premises. Each one is afforded with a free soap to help maintain proper hygiene. They also have the option to buy more soap from the commissary when needed.
"Simply residing in MCC Chicago cannot be a basis for being released," the prosecutors wrote as a response to the special request made on behalf of the singer.
