Faith Nyasuguta
R&B singer R. Kelly has been hospitalized following what his legal team describes as a deliberate attempt on his life while in federal prison. The 57-year-old, who is serving a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering, reportedly collapsed in his prison cell at FCI Butner in North Carolina after ingesting what lawyers claim was an overdose of prescribed medication.
According to Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, the incident was not accidental. In an emergency court filing, Brindley claimed the medication had been tampered with and administered in excessive quantities. He said Kelly began experiencing dizziness, vision loss, and confusion before passing out. He was rushed to Duke University Hospital, where doctors reportedly found blood clots in his legs and lungs – a life-threatening condition.
Brindley further alleges that after just an hour in hospital, prison authorities forced Kelly back into solitary confinement against medical advice. The return to isolation, despite the singer’s fragile condition, has been described as cruel and dangerous by his legal team.
The incident occurred shortly after Brindley filed legal documents claiming that prison officials had conspired with a known white supremacist inmate to arrange Kelly’s assassination. The inmate, Mikeal Glenn Stine, reportedly refused to go through with the plan and later provided a sworn statement alleging that he had been approached by Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff with the offer to kill Kelly in exchange for favors.
Stine, who is terminally ill and a self-identified Aryan Brotherhood member, has since become a key figure in Kelly’s legal campaign for protection. Kelly’s team argues that prison authorities were aware of the risk to his life and failed to take necessary precautions – or worse, were complicit in the alleged plot.
Federal prosecutors have dismissed the allegations, calling them speculative and lacking evidence. In their response to the emergency motion, they argued that the court does not have jurisdiction over the prison’s decisions and criticized Kelly’s lawyers for what they described as “conspiracy theories.”
Still, the gravity of the situation has raised questions about inmate safety, prison healthcare, and the use of solitary confinement in federal facilities. Kelly’s attorneys are pushing for his release from solitary confinement and seeking home detention, citing his medical condition and the alleged threat to his life.
Kelly, best known for songs like “Ignition (Remix)” and “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted in 2021 and 2022 in separate trials in New York and Chicago. His fall from music stardom has been marked by numerous allegations of abuse, many involving underage girls, spanning over two decades.
A court hearing is expected in the coming weeks to determine whether the claims of medical mistreatment and attempted murder warrant legal intervention. For now, Kelly remains in custody, his health and safety uncertain, as his legal team continues to press for urgent action.
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