R&B singer R. Kelly reportedly collapsed in his North Carolina prison cell after what his attorney claims was a dangerous and potentially lethal overdose of medication. The incident occurred just days after Kelly accused prison staff of plotting to harm him.
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, the 58-year-old was placed in solitary confinement on Tuesday, June 10. Two days later, on June 12, prison staff allegedly gave him additional medication. The following morning, Kelly reportedly fainted, experienced dizziness and partial vision loss, and was rushed to Duke University Hospital. Doctors determined he had received a life-threatening dose of medication and kept him under observation for two days.
His attorney, Beau B. Brindley, claims the overdose was not accidental. “That means that, within two days of the filing of his motion, Bureau of Prisons officials administered an amount of medication that significantly exceeded a safe dose and caused Mr. Kelly to overdose, putting his life in jeopardy,” Brindley said. “They gave him an amount of medicine that could have killed him.”
On Monday, June 16, Brindley filed an emergency motion in an Illinois federal court — the third request for Kelly’s temporary release to home confinement. The filing argues that Kelly’s life is in serious danger behind bars and references a recent sworn statement from fellow inmate Mikeal Glenn Stine.
According to the statement, Stine alleged that both prison staff and white supremacist groups were conspiring to kill Kelly to cover up misconduct related to his criminal case. Following these allegations, Kelly was reportedly moved into solitary confinement.
His attorney described the conditions as “inhumane,” stating that Kelly sleeps with spiders crawling on him, has no access to phone calls, and refuses to eat commissary food due to fears of being poisoned. As a result, Kelly has reportedly gone days without eating.
While hospitalized, doctors also discovered blood clots in both his legs and lungs. They recommended surgery, but Brindley claims Kelly was forcibly removed from the hospital against medical advice and returned to prison.
The situation raises growing concerns about the treatment and safety of high-profile inmates within the federal prison system.
