R. Kelly's Lawyers Claim Bystanders Didn't Raise a 'Finger' While Singer Was Beaten in Jail

Attorneys for the disgraced entertainer submitted documents claiming surveillance video at the correctional center shows no one intervened during the attack.

October 17, 2020

R. Kelly's attorneys claim their client was beaten while behind bars, and no one at the correctional facility "raised a finger" to prevent the attack.

According to CNN, Kelly's legal team made the claim in court documents filed Friday. His lawyers say surveillance video at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago shows an inmate had "roamed a great distance ... before carrying out that act, without any opposition." The attorneys say Kelly suffered "significant physical and psychological injuries" due to the August attack.

"An unresolved issue remains as to whether MCC personnel encouraged, and then allowed, a beating of Mr. Kelly to take place," Michael Leonard, a lawyer for R. Kelly, wrote. "That alone merits an evidentiary hearing."

CNN reports an inmate named Jeremiah Farmer—a convicted member of the Latin Kings street gang—identified himself as Kelly's attacker in a court filing last month. Farmer claimed he beat Kelly in an attempt to bring media attention to his own racketeering case.

An MCC guard, identified as "D. Szyhowski," was reportedly meeting with Farmer right before the attack. The employee claims Farmer ignored his orders to stay in his office and managed to enter Kelly's cell and began punching him in the head and torso. Szyhowski says he then used pepper spray and demanded Farmer to cease the assault. Farmer reportedly followed the order and exited the cell.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Kelly's defense team is seeking to question Farmer under oath as part of their attempts to have their client released on bond. Kelly has remained behind bars since the summer of 2019. He faces federal and state charges of child pornography, sexual assault, and obstruction of justice in Illinois and New York.