The inmate who assaulted R. Kelly inside a jail cell last month claimed “the government made me attack,” according to court documents filed in an Illinois court on Tuesday.
Jeremiah Farmer, 39, also wrote that he committed the August 26 attack on Kelly, 53, “in hopes of getting spotlight attention and world news notice to shed light on” government corruption. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Farmer, who is representing himself, made the revelation in a six-page document filed with the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, confirmed to the Sun-Times and TMZ that Farmer was the inmate who attacked the singer at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC). Initial reports suggested the inmate assaulted Kelly because the detention facility was placed on lockdown a couple of times due to people protesting outside for Kelly’s release.
Greenberg previously alleged that Farmer crept into Kelly’s cell as he slept and stomped on his head. He also claimed the inmate — who has “F**k the feds” tattooed on his face — had a pen and intended to stab the singer.
A prison employee reportedly used pepper spray to stop the attack. Farmer was placed in solitary confinement following the incident, according to the Sun-Times.
Farmer also wrote that before attacking Kelly, a mental health professional at MCC told him, “You don’t want to assault Kelly, if you did, you would have done it.”
Farmer said that after some back and forth, he was told “go do it then” — sparking him to leave and assault Kelly despite being ordered to stop.
Farmer, a member of the Latin Kings, was convicted last year of a racketeering conspiracy related to the 1999 murders of Marion Lowry, 74, and Harvey Sieger, 67. He was initially charged with beating the men to death with a hammer at their auto business.
At some point, Farmer told police that he intends to confess to the double slaying as he wants to die via lethal injection, according to the Sun-Times.
WBBM reported that Farmer and five other suspected gang members were initially indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering activity and conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax.
While Farmer was accused of killing Lowry and Sieger, he was ultimately convicted of a racketeering conspiracy related to the men’s deaths.
Kelly has been jailed in Illinois since July 2019 for 26 federal charges which include child pornography, obstruction of justice, and sexual abuse of a minor. He is also facing 21 sex-related criminal charges in Cook County. The state charges reportedly stem from allegations dating back to 1998 and involve at least three underage girls.
Additionally, Kelly is facing multiple federal charges in New York for allegedly infecting a woman and minor girl with herpes, racketeering, and sex trafficking that reportedly crossed state lines.
In August 2019, authorities in Minnesota charged Kelly with two counts of prostitution with a person under 18 in connection with an alleged 2001 incident.
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[Featured image: Jeremiah Farmer/Lake County Sheriff’s Department; R. Kelly/Cook County Sheriff’s Office]
