After decades of allegations, lawsuits, and criminal charges, disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, now 56, is spending a total of 31 years in jail for various heinous crimes.
R. Kelly became famous in the music industry thanks to a string of R&B hits like "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Bump N' Grind," but he soon started engaging in questionable behavior and facing troubling accusations.
R. Kelly was sentenced to thirty years in prison in June 2022, which, if completed in full, would keep him behind bars until his mid-eighties. In light of the rumors that R. Kelly escaped prison, it is essential to know that he is still being held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's attorney and a former counsel for Bill Cosby, is currently drafting an appeal submission to disprove the jailbreak rumors.
Did R. Kelly Escape From Prison?
Disgraced R&B artist R. Kelly was sentenced to prison time for his numerous criminal offenses, but many think he has already escaped from a federal prison in Brooklyn. People thought the infamous artist had avoided accountability after one singular Instagram post gave that impression.
"BREAKING: It was reported earlier today that singer #rkelly has escaped his New York prison only a day after being sentenced for s** trafficking," reads the caption of the Instagram post. “The star allegedly first went missing early this morning, but it wasn’t until later in the afternoon that prison officials could confirm R Kelly’s escape via security footage of beneath prison grounds (sic)."
The image features Kelly's mugshot and a photo of a prison tunnel overlaid with the ABC News logo and the word "exclusive." Over the course of four days, the tweet reportedly received more than 50,000 likes, as reported by USA Today.
Kelly's supposed escape from prison was first reported by the now-defunct satirical Instagram account Rapstreet.TV. Guards had discovered Kelly was absent from his cell, prompting the rumor.
There was no escape, however. Kelly's alleged escape has not been reported in the media or by law enforcement, as one would expect if it had actually occurred.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Kelly was scheduled to transfer to a Chicago detention facility on July 12, 2022, and he had already left the Brooklyn prison. This may be the reason behind the guards “not finding him” in his cell, just taken way out of proportion.
The Brooklyn MDC has not issued any statements or reports verifying the allegations. However, the MDC website claims that Robert Sylvester Kelly, alias R. Kelly, is still incarcerated there, and there have been no calls for missing prisoners. Kelly appears to be securely rooted inside his cell.
USA Today tried to get in touch with the user who made the allegation online to get their side of the story. The original poster admitted that he "personally never believed it was true."
Fake news at its finest.
Where Is R. Kelly's Jail?
In his first few days at the federal jail in Brooklyn, the former musician R Kelly, who was sentenced to 31 years in prison, was placed on suicide watch. R. Kelly filed a lawsuit against the Brooklyn MDC, claiming that they were responsible for his emotional distress.
According to Bonjean's statement to People, placing Kelly on suicide watch at the Brooklyn MDC was done for "purely punitive reasons" and constituted "cruel and unusual punishment," both of which are in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Due to this, Kelly has experienced "severe mental distress."
Reuters reports that in his case against Brooklyn MDC, Kelly is asking for $100 million in compensation.
It is common procedure to put high-profile inmates on watch either before or after they are sentenced. Before her sentencing, Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein's, was also put on watch "without justification" at the same prison.
Since Kelly has been removed from suicide watch, the U.S. Attorney's Office claimed in a letter that his lawsuit against the prison is moot.
A spokesperson for the Office had this to say about the lawsuit:
“The lack of jurisdiction on Plaintiff’s motion here is self-evident: because Plaintiff has already been removed from suicide watch, there is nothing more that the Court can do for him with respect to his demand to be removed from suicide watch. When a plaintiff’s claim seeks to compel a federal official to act, and the official has already performed that act, the claim is moot.”
What Caused R. Kelly’s Questionable Behavior?
Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, said that her encounter with Kelly shed light on his background. She told Bob Bianchi of the Law&Crime Network that Kelly came across as aggressive and irrational during their interview.
According to Lieberman, Kelly exhibited symptoms of borderline personality disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), this condition is characterized by mood swings, unstable relationships, and abandonment problems. She further implied that Kelly might have additional problems, such as manic depression.
Lieberman contended that Kelly's insecurity about women abandoning him stems from his childhood. Kelly wrote about his intimate abuse as a kid in his 2012 memoir Soulacoaster.
Ex-wife Andrea was just one of several women who alleged R. Kelly did what he did in the documentary, Surviving R. Kelly. The show was approved well before the #MeToo movement’s peak in October 2017, and it was the first programming event to offer survivors a platform to tell their stories and demand justice.
The third and final season of Surviving R. Kelly focuses on the trial that resulted in the singer's incarceration, and it follows the survivors and their families as they prepare to speak at the highly publicized trial.
R. Kelly's horrible actions are inexcusable, and it's high time to recognize those who have overcome them. Leaving an abusive circumstance and recovering from it are two very different challenges.
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