Man Who Attacked R. Kelly Says Government Made Him Do It: Report

The man who attacked R. Kelly in jail last month has been identified and he has an interesting explanation of why he put paws on the incarcerated singer.

According to a Chicago Sun Times article published on Thursday (Sept. 3), Kelly’s attacker has been identified as Jeremiah Shane Farmer, 39, a Latin Kings gang member who was convicted last year of a racketeering conspiracy that involved two murders in Indiana in 1999. On Tuesday (Sept. 1), Farmer filed a six-page document with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in which he claims “the government made me attack” R. Kelly. He also claims he did so “in hopes of getting spotlight attention and world news notice to shed light on” alleged corruption in the government.

As previously reported, Kelly, who has been locked up for over a year at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago while he awaits trial on child pornography, obstruction of justice and racketeering charges in Chicago and New York City, was attacked by Farmer on Aug. 26 in his cell. Sources initially noted the cause of the altercation was Farmer’s frustration over the prison being shut down due to protests being held near the facility advocating for the singer’s release.

In an incident report about the situation, an employee who was meeting with Farmer claims he “left the office against my order to stay.” The report claims Farmer then entered a section of the prison he was not authorized to be in where the employee heard a disturbance coming from a cell. When the employee reached the cell, he reportedly found that “inmate Farmer appeared to be punching inmate Kelly repeatedly in the head and torso.” The employee then ended the tussle by administering pepper spray.

Right before the incident, Farmer reports a mental health professional at the prison told him, “You don’t want to assault Kelly, if you did, you would have done it.” Farmer documented he “said some disrespect back” and was told by the employee “go do it then.” That’s when he said he rushed out to attack Kelly despite being told to stop.

R. Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, has again reportedly filed paperwork in hopes of getting his client released on bail.