On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, after performing with Georgia Florida Line at the White River Amphitheater in the Seattle, Washington area, rapper Nelly was detained for suspicion of rape. The accuser reportedly told the Auburn Police Department that Nelly, né Cornell Iran Haynes, took her to his tour bus, which was parked at Walmart at The Outlet Collection shopping mall in Auburn, and raped her. The alleged victim made the call to 911 at 3:48 a.m. Nelly was taken into custody at 4:37 a.m., and booked into the South Correctional Entity jail in Des Moines, Washington, according to the Auburn Police Department’s news release.
The musician’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum of St. Louis, issued a statement calling the allegation “completely fabricated” and “scurrilous”: “We’re in the initial stages of our investigation. This allegation is wholly and completely without merit. I would be surprised if charges are ever issued.
“Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation. Our initial investigation clearly establishes this allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness. I am confident, once this scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges. Nelly is prepared to address and pursue all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation.”
Nelly claimed his innocence on Twitter on Saturday evening. He wrotes in part, “Let me say that I am beyond shocked that I have been targeted with this false allegation…In other words y’all know damm well I ain’t do no dumm S^*t like this..!! Love ..!!!!”
Nelly is accused of second degree rape, which is defined by the State of Washington as:
(1) A person is guilty of rape in the second degree when, under circumstances not constituting rape in the first degree, the person engages in sexual intercourse with another person:
(a) By forcible compulsion;
(b) When the victim is incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated;
(c) When the victim is a person with a developmental disability and the perpetrator is a person who is not married to the victim and who:
(i) Has supervisory authority over the victim; or
(ii) Was providing transportation, within the course of his or her employment, to the victim at the time of the offense;
(d) When the perpetrator is a health care provider, the victim is a client or patient, and the sexual intercourse occurs during a treatment session, consultation, interview, or examination. It is an affirmative defense that the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the client or patient consented to the sexual intercourse with the knowledge that the sexual intercourse was not for the purpose of treatment;
(e) When the victim is a resident of a facility for persons with a mental disorder or chemical dependency and the perpetrator is a person who is not married to the victim and has supervisory authority over the victim; or
(f) When the victim is a frail elder or vulnerable adult and the perpetrator is a person who is not married to the victim and who:
(i) Has a significant relationship with the victim; or
(ii) Was providing transportation, within the course of his or her employment, to the victim at the time of the offense.
(2) Rape in the second degree is a class A felony.
Here are other Black celebs who’ve faced rape and sexual assault charges.
