A federal judge in Chicago, Illinois, has denied singer R. Kelly’s request for home confinement instead of prison release. Kelly, a 58-year-old man, is currently serving a 30-year sentence in a North Carolina federal prison for a 2021 conviction on sex crimes and racketeering charges.
On June 17, Kelly filed an emergency motion for his release in a Chicago courthouse. However, Judge Martha Pacold denied the motion on June 19, as reported by USA TODAY. Judge Pacold stated that her court lacks the authority to grant Kelly’s release.
On June 13, Kelly was rushed to a North Carolina hospital after suffering a drug overdose. Prison officials confirmed that Kelly had overdosed on medication administered by prison medical staff.
To manage Kelly’s nervous condition, a prison doctor prescribed anti-anxiety and sleep medication. On June 13, the prison medical staff instructed Kelly to take more of these medications.
Shortly after, Kelly reported feeling faint, dizzy, and experiencing black spots in his vision. He lost consciousness and was promptly transported to Duke University Hospital.
At Duke University Medical Center, Kelly was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and both legs. Doctors recommended surgery, but prison officials rejected this recommendation.
Kelly’s lawyers allege that less than an hour later, armed prison guards arrived and forcibly removed Kelly from the hospital room, transporting him back to prison.
Prior to his current situation, Kelly’s attorneys had previously sought a pardon from President Donald Trump, citing the danger to his life. On June 10, Kelly was placed in solitary confinement for his safety after a former member of the Aryan Brotherhood claimed that prison officials had instructed him to harm Kelly.
