R. Kelly is still placed on suicide watch while he is incarcerated, according to his lawyer. The disgraced musician was previously sentenced to 30 years in jail for racketeering and sex trafficking.
Following his sentencing and a psychological assessment, Kelly was placed on suicide watch. The court document that ET was able to access claims that Kelly’s “current life circumstances undoubtedly generate emotional suffering.” This claim was made by Melanie Speight, an assistant US attorney. She went on to say that he was a sex offender who had been found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in jail. He will shortly go on trial in federal court in Chicago over claims involving child pornography.
His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, claimed that keeping Kelly on suicide watch was “punitive” and “unnecessary” in a statement to ET.
“The BOP continues to violate his constitutional rights by maintaining him under the harsh, pointless, and painful conditions of suicide watch. According to Bonjean, they are protecting him from nothing and putting their own interests first.
Although he wasn’t and still isn’t suicidal, perhaps that is what they are going for. They specifically allege that the courts lack the authority to review this ruling and that they are unable to conduct the evaluation they claim will sustain his status. She continued that the BOP’s secrecy about its operations is concerning.
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Kelly is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. On June 29, Kelly was given a sentence of 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $100,000 fine. This came nine months after a federal jury found Kelly guilty on one count of racketeering and eight Mann Act crimes.
Kelly has been imprisoned in jail without a bond since 2019. Outside of New York, Kelly is accused of a variety of offenses, such as aggravated sexual assault, child pornography, enticing a kid, impeding the course of justice, prostitution, and soliciting a minor in Illinois and Minnesota. His Chicago trial is scheduled to begin in August.
