Aug. 28 (UPI) — R. Kelly was attacked by another inmate at a federal jail in Chicago, lawyers for the singer said Thursday.
The 53-year-old, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was on his bed at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on Tuesday night when another inmate approached him and began to punch him, Doug Anton, an attorney for Kelly, said.
Anton said guards quickly stopped the attack and Kelly did not sustain injuries and X-rays revealed no fractures.
Lawyer Mike Leonard, however, said that Kelly sustained “very minor bruising” following the attack.
Another Kelly attorney, Steve Greenberg, said his legal team received “conflicting reports as to the extent of his injuries,” citing difficulty communicating with Kelly due to restrictions on in-person visits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Regardless, it is time to release Mr. Kelly,” Greenberg said. “The government cannot ensure his safety and they cannot give him his day in court. We should not incarcerate people indefinitely because we cannot provide them with due process!”
Kelly has been held at MCC Chicago for more than a year as he faces charges for multiple sex crimes in New York City; Cook County, Ill.; the federal Northern District of Illinois; and Hennepin County, Minn.
He is set to appear in court Sept. 8 for a status hearing in the Cook County state’s attorney’s case in Chicago, which is scheduled to begin in October, while his Brooklyn federal trial is set to begin Sept. 29. Both cases face potential delays due to the pandemic.
