Last Updated:
R Kelly was rushed to Duke University hospital after overdosing in prison. The 58-year-old collapsed at the federal correctional institute in Butner, North Carolina.
R Kelly overdosed on drugs in prison.
R&B singer and convicted sex offender R. Kelly was recently rushed to a hospital from a federal prison facility following what his attorneys describe as a medical overdose. The incident, detailed in a new court filing reviewed by The Guardian, has intensified an ongoing legal effort to seek his release from custody.
The 58-year-old, currently serving a 30-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, reportedly collapsed in his cell in the early hours of June 13. His legal team alleges that he had been kept in solitary confinement since June 10 and had been administered medication by prison staff with directions to take it.
According to the document, Kelly experienced severe symptoms that morning, “Kelly awoke in the early morning hours of 13 June, feeling ‘faint’ and ‘dizzy’, and ‘he started to see black spots in his vision’.”
The filing continues, “Kelly tried to get up, but fell to the ground. He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness.”
Prison staff reportedly called emergency services, and Kelly was taken to Duke University Hospital for treatment. During the ambulance ride, the court documents claim a staff member remarked, “This is going to open a whole new can of worms.”
Once at the hospital, his attorneys allege that Kelly was informed he had been given a dangerously high dose of his prescribed medication. “He learned that he had been administered an overdose quantity of his medications that threatened his life.” The singer remained hospitalised for two days, according to the legal brief.
This latest filing follows an emergency motion from Kelly’s legal team seeking to move him to home detention. The motion also included explosive claims that officials within the Bureau of Prisons had conspired to facilitate an attack on Kelly by another inmate.
Federal prosecutors have firmly rejected the allegations. “Kelly is a prolific child molester,” they wrote. “He is unapologetic about it. Kelly has never taken responsibility for his years of sexually abusing children, and he probably never will.”
They added, “Kelly now asks this court to release him from incarceration indefinitely under the guise of a fanciful conspiracy. Kelly’s motion makes a mockery of the harm suffered by Kelly’s victims.”
Kelly, who was convicted in 2021 on racketeering and sex trafficking charges, is currently serving a 30-year sentence. In a separate case, he was sentenced to an additional 20 years for child pornography and enticement of minors, to be served concurrently.
The Bureau of Prisons has declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
- First Published: