R. Kelly is reportedly seeking early release from prison as he claims his life is in danger. Lawyers for the singer are said to have put in a petition to that effect.
The emergency motion, filed by his representatives and cited by some outlets, claimed there was evidence of an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving prison officials and an inmate close to Kelly.
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According to the filing, Kelly’s fellow inmate, called Stine, would be rewarded if he succeeded in killing the renowned but disgraced singer.
R. Kelly’s legal representative claimed the supposed contract killer considered carrying out the crime back in March but decided to abort the mission at the last minute.
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They claim that another inmate had been contracted to kill both Kelly and Stine, who backed down on the murder plan and leaked the information. It is against this backdrop that the Kellys’ team wants a court to take action and release their client.
In 2021, R. Kelly was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges. The following year, he was convicted of more crimes involving child pornography and enticing minors for sex.
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He is currently serving a 30-year sentence, meaning his scheduled release date is December 21, 2045, when he will be almost 79 years old.
In July 2024, a lawyer for the singer and record producer requested the United States Supreme Court to throw out the musician’s convictions for possession of child porn and inducing minors to have sex.
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Per reports, his lawyer, at the time, claimed Kelly’s alleged acts “occurred decades earlier” and that the charges were “purportedly barred by the statute of limitations,” but the petition was declined.
R Kelly is credited with prolific commercial success in R&B, hip hop, and pop music recordings, earning nicknames such as “the King of R&B”, “the King of Pop-Soul”, and “the Pied Piper of R&B”.
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He received a Grammy Award nomination for his contributions to Michael Jackson’s 1995 single, You Are Not Alone, which earned a Guinness World Record as the first song to debut top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart’s history.
He sold over 75 million albums and singles worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s.
