But the disgraced R&B singer is not suicidal, attorney Jennifer Bonjean told CNN she believes, adding Kelly had been fearful of being put on suicide watch.
“The irony of putting someone on suicide watch when they’re not suicidal is it actually causes more harm,” Bonjean said.
Kelly, 55, was placed on suicide watch because he is well known, Bonjean said she was told by prosecutors who spoke with prison officials. CNN has reached out to prosecutors and the Bureau of Prisons for confirmation.
“It’s punishment for being high-profile. And it’s horrifying frankly,” she said. “To put someone under suicide watch under those conditions is cruel and unusual when they don’t need it.”
Bonjean had asked Kelly to email her after he was taken back into the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his sentencing Wednesday but never got an email from him, she said. She has n’t gotten answers about his status from the detention center until prosecutors requested information from the facility, Bonjean added.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Kelly to more than 25 years behind bars, while his defense attorneys asked for 10 or fewer.
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