R. Kelly Seeking Prison Release Over Coronavirus Concerns

R. Kelly is seeking a release from jail as he awaits trial on his various charges sexual assault, citing concerns about the novel coronavirus. TMZ reports that a lawyer for the disgraced R&B star filed a motion on Thursday seeking a release pending his trial in Illinois federal court due to the health risks of contracting COVID-19 while he’s behind bars at Chicago MCC.

The motion by the lawyer argues that the measures taken to protect against coronavirus such as social distancing are nearly impossible in the jail and that things like soap and hand sanitizer are difficult at best to come by. The motion notes says that forcing people to stay in the MCC in the pandemic is “tantamount to making them drink poison,” arguing, “No matter what steps they take the sanitation will be substandard, the risk of an internal pandemic at the MCC is great.”

The motion requests that Kelly be allowed to be released on bond. Kelly says he would be willing to wear electronic monitoring while noting that during the outbreak he’s “low risk” to go outside, and says that he would live with his last girlfriend Joycelyn Savage at her Chicago apartment complex.

Kelly is facing multiple charges on allegations that he sexually assaulted and abused multiple women, some of whom were underage at the time.