A viral Texas rapper is claiming his innocence after being accused of kidnapping a pregnant lady and maintaining her locked in his storage.
Lee Carter, 52, higher recognized by the stage identify Viper, was charged final week with kidnapping after Houston police discovered a girl inside his storage who claimed that he had held her there for years, in accordance with a criticism obtained by JS.
George Powell, Carter’s lawyer, told CNN a unique story, claiming that the 2 have been in a consensual relationship collectively and share a 3-year-old baby.
Powell instructed the outlet that witnesses who know the pair “may have ample proof to show that … they’ve been in a relationship for years.”
In accordance with the criticism, the lady was rescued in April 2023 after managing to ship a message to police dispatch on Carter’s laptop computer.
When police arrived at Carter’s residence, they discovered the lady weighing 70 kilos and allegedly locked contained in the storage. The storage was furnished with a makeshift rest room and a mattress lined in recent vomit, in accordance with the criticism.
The girl instructed officers that Carter approached her years in the past to offer her $1 when she was pregnant and panhandling on the road. Carter later returned to ask if she wanted assist earlier than telling her to get in his automotive and, “in opposition to her higher judgement,” the lady mentioned she left with him, in accordance with the criticism.
The girl instructed officers that Carter repeatedly compelled her to do medicine, together with crack cocaine, and have intercourse with him. Throughout this time she was solely fed “chips and snacks,” the criticism mentioned.
The girl recalled one occasion the place she tried to flee when police and hearth division personnel have been known as to Carter’s residence, however she was taken to a hospital as a substitute the place Carter picked her up, the criticism mentioned.
According to NBC News, two months after the lady was rescued from the home, one other lady was discovered useless there. Catherine Roberts, 61, was reportedly found inside Carter’s Houston residence on July 5.
Jedediah Beights, Carter’s neighbor, instructed NBC Information that Roberts was residing in the identical storage that held the primary lady.
“Roberts died from alcoholic liver illness and hepatitis C, sophisticated by inner bleeding,” NBC Information reported, citing medical expert data.
Houston police instructed the outlet that Roberts’ dying will not be related to the kidnapping investigation and that Carter will not be going through costs for it.
After he was accused of kidnapping, Carter denied the allegations in opposition to him, claiming in a number of social media posts that he’s harmless.
He additionally mentioned he had solely lived within the Houston residence for 13 months. In accordance with corporate records, Carter owns and operates a transferring firm registered to the tackle the place police discovered the lady.
As Viper, Carter has amassed hundreds of thousands of streams on-line and averages greater than 50,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify.
In a statement posted on social media, Outsider Data, a label related to Carter’s Viper persona, mentioned that it was “misplaced for phrases” amid the allegations in opposition to him. The label added that it will finish all contact with Carter.
“I wish to say I had no information or involvement in what he was doing,” the assertion learn.
It continued by saying that Outsider Data would shut down completely after processing purchases and refunds.
“I initially deliberate for Viper to not obtain any cash from gross sales until he was discovered harmless, however as a consequence of potential authorized threats I’ll pay him his lower on the finish of this month,” learn a separate assertion on the label’s website, including that a few of the cash from gross sales would even be donated “to both the sufferer or charity.”
Carter is ready to look in court docket Feb.13, and his lawyer mentioned that he’ll plead not responsible. Powell and a spokesperson for Outsider Data didn’t instantly reply to JS’s requests for remark.
