R.Kelly has been behind bars for a few years now in connection to allegations surrounding several women throughout his career. Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence working against him, the hitmaker has maintained his innocence and has made many attempts to be released. Now with his sentencing one day away, the disgraced R&B singer is making one last attempt to receive a lighter sentence – using the late singer, Aaliyah’s name.
R. Kelly’s First Attempt To Be Released Was in April 2020
When the pandemic began, there was widespread panic, and people struggled to understand the virus and its ramifications on the public. One community that immediately came into question was those incarcerated. Many believed that the virus could spread quickly and started pushing for the release of older inmates and those dealing with existing health risks.
R.Kelly was one of the many people who tried to get released as well, sighting anxiety over the pandemic. In April of 2020, he petitioned to be released on bond and claimed that the Chicago Metropolitan Facility in which he was being helped was taking “scant” precautions against the spread of Covid 19. The judge denied his request and stated that Mr. Kelly had no “established compelling reasons” to warrant him being let out. Despite his request being denied, Kelly attempted again claiming the pandemic had made it impossible for him to meet with his lawyers and prepare for trial. They reasoned that because R.Kelly cannot read or write that he needed to meet with his team in person to go over documentation.
R. Kelly Claims He is Diabetic
Robert Kelly tried once again in May of 2020 to get released from prison. According to his team, the singer said he had diabetes and needed to be let out due to health concerns and him being in the ‘high risk’ group. A spokesperson for R.Kelly told CBS News, “These conditions also make him a higher risk for bridging the 1/10th and having diabetes, as does the fact he’s overweight. It is a fact that people who are diabetic are at a much higher risk for serious complications should they be infected with Covid 19.”
R. Kelly Was Found Guilty September 2021
By September of 2021, R.Kelly’s case finally reached trial, where the singer was found guilty of nine counts. He’s now facing a possible sentencing of 10 years to life. Many were not shocked as he dodged accusations for over 25 years. His sentencing was scheduled for May 4 but was postponed to June 6. R.Kelly still has to face judges in connection to cases in Illinois as well.
February 2022 Singer Hired Bill Cosby’s Attorney, Requests New Trial
Ahead of his sentencing and other cases, R.Kelly began to restructure his legal team and brought in members of Bill Cosby’s team to help prove his innocence. Cosby got off last year after it was revealed that a testimony used to put him behind bars was not able to be used because a previous judge made a deal with Cosby in connection with an earlier case. R.Kelly claims his team was unprepared and fired them, demanding a new trial date while he worked with Cosby’s team on a different angle. Kelly claims that his previous lawyers did a lot of in-fighting, and that made them insufficient to represent him. He feels they violated his constitutional right to an effective legal counsel.
R. Kelly Will Be Sentenced On Monday, June 6
Ahead of his sentencing, R.Kelly is trying one more time to turn the tides against him. R.Kelly famously married an underaged Aaliyah after his tour manager helped get them a fake ID. Kelly’s camp wants to remind the court that Kelly did not obtain the fake ID himself nor that he requested it or was aware of it.
Kelly claims he just called Demetrius Smith and asked for help because he believed Aaliyah was pregnant. Smith took it upon himself to bribe a social worker to make the fake ID. They maintain that no evidence proves R.Kelly was actually connected to or paid for the fake ID. If they can get the judge on their side, it could possibly lower Kelly’s sentence from life to 15 years or so.
