R. Kelly Hospitalized After Suspected Overdose in Shocking Prison Twist
R. Kelly’s legal team claims he overdosed after prison staff gave him a dangerously high dose of a medication he usually takes for anxiety and sleep problems. This happened shortly after he was placed in solitary confinement on June 10. Two days later, on June 12, he was given a second dose, and the next morning, on June 13, he passed out in his cell. He was then taken to Duke University Hospital.
Doctors diagnosed blood clots in both legs and lungs and said he needed immediate surgery. But within an hour, armed officers entered the hospital room and, against medical advice, removed Kelly before surgery could be performed.
Kelly’s lawyer, Beau Brindley, believes the overdose was no accident. He says it comes just days after a lawsuit was filed accusing prison officials of endangering Kelly’s life. The legal team says the threats against Kelly have been persistent and serious. They point to an affidavit filed by fellow inmate Michael Glenn Stine, which claims that white supremacist gangs and prison staff conspired to kill Kelly to suppress evidence of misconduct during his trial.
Brindley also said that Kelly now lives in extremely difficult conditions in solitary confinement, cannot use a phone, sleeps with insects in his cell, and is afraid to eat for fear of poisoning.
In response, federal prosecutors have dismissed the claims as “very serious” and “abhorrent.” The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment, citing security and privacy policies.
Kelly’s lawyers have sought to have him released from house arrest and are now turning to former President Donald Trump for help. In a public statement, Brindley said, “Only President Trump has the power to save his life and fight the same kind of corruption that is being used against him.”
R. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking. He faces an additional 20 years on child pornography charges in Chicago. He is currently being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butler, North Carolina.
The case is scheduled for a June 20 court hearing.
Emergency Hospital Stay, Missed Surgery
The day after taking medication, Kelly collapsed in his cell. Guards took him to Duke University Hospital. Doctors there found tumors in both his lungs and legs. They said he needed immediate surgery.
But his lawyer, Brindley, said guards took him out of the hospital before doctors could perform the surgery.
“Guards came with guns and took Mr. Kelly out of the room,” Brindley said. “The doctors said he needed surgery, but they wouldn’t let him go. The surgery was to remove tumors that could have led to his death. The hospital records will prove that this actually happened.”
Murder Conspiracy And Aryan Brotherhood Threat Claim
Kelly’s lawyers filed a new emergency request in Illinois on June 16. They asked him to stay home again for his safety. This is his third attempt.
In the new request, another inmate, Michael Glenn Stine, gave a written statement. He said some guards and a white power gang, the Aryan Brotherhood, were planning to kill Kelly to keep him quiet about problems in his case.
After the claims came to light, guards moved Kelly to a smaller, isolated cell. His lawyers said the cell was unsafe and filthy.
“He falls asleep when spiders crawl on him. He can’t make phone calls. He can’t eat from the prison store,” Brindley said. Kelly has gone without food for days because he’s afraid someone will poison him.
What Caused The Overdose in Solitary Confinement?
As reported by AllHipHop, the 58-year-old singer passed out in his prison cell after taking a massive overdose of medication, according to his lawyer.
The letters say Kelly was taken to solitary confinement on June 10. Then, two days later, staff gave him more medication than usual. The next day, he passed out and began to feel dizzy and have headaches.
Who Are His Lawyers Blaming?
Attorney Beau Brindley said the overdose came two days after he filed papers alleging prison staff were putting Kelly in danger.
His legal team believes Kelly is not safe in prison. They point to a note signed by inmate Michael Glenn Stine. Stine claims that prison staff and white supremacist gangs were trying to kill Kelly to cover up wrongdoing during his trial.
Soon after the claims were made, officials moved Kelly to a single cell. His lawyer, Beau Brindley, said the conditions were dire. He said Kelly was unable to use a phone, couldn’t buy breakfast and had to sleep in a room infested with spiders. Kelly didn’t eat for days because he feared the food was poisoned.
When doctors examined him after the overdose, they found blood clots in both legs and lungs. He said he needed immediate surgery. But that didn’t happen. “Armed officers came to his hospital room and got Mr. Kelly out within an hour,” Brindley said.
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Prosecutors Say Claims Are False And Exaggerated
In response, federal prosecutors said Kelly’s claims were “bogus” and “exaggerated.”
They also said the request was flawed. It went to the wrong court, used the wrong case type, and didn’t follow the rules. They said the request “makes a mockery of what Kelly’s victims went through” and called it “a big lie.”
They said that if Kelly goes home after serving “30-year and 20-year prison sentences” in New York and Chicago, “every murderer, rapist and terrorist will want to go free.”
Kelly is now in prison in North Carolina after trials in 2021 and 2022. The court sentenced him to 30 years in New York in 2022 and 20 years in Chicago in 2023. He will serve most of the time concurrently, but one year of the second case will be added after the sentence in the first case.
