Who Is Jeremiah Shane Farmer and Why Did He Jump R. Kelly?

R. Kelly will officially be behind bars for the foreseeable future. The pied piper of R&B was given 30 years in connection to his indiscretions in New York, with an additional 20 for charges in Chicago. Friends and family of Kelly have expressed concerns that the singer may not make it out alive. He’s already been the involved in incident behind bars.

R. Kelly is a high-profile inmate. At the height of his career, he was considered a king of R&B music and well-respected by his peers. This included joint albums with Jay-Z, songwriting credits for Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, and being the executive producer behind Aaliyah’s debut album. He’s sold over 70 million records worldwide and amassed a huge audience of loyal fans. Understandably Kelly has also lived a very privileged life, complete with a team of enablers that assisted him for years in hiding his obsession with younger women.

Kelly’s fanbase has stood by his side all the way, maintaining his innocence and defending him outside of courtrooms. His family has also come to his defense, with both his brothers speaking up about his past and how Robert is not cut out for jail. Bruce Kelly opened up in the Surviving R. Kelly documentary and said that R. Kelly was not to blame for his “preference.” Bruce has been in jail several times and admits that he worries his brother will not be able to handle the harsh conditions behind bars. Brother Carey Kelly, who was violated as a kid with Robert by their older sister, echoed the same thought process. He did not think R. Kelly would fare well behind bars.

There is a high rate of retaliation in the prison system for those accused of dealing with minors and women. Often times people get word that someone violated somebody underage, and they take matters into their own hands. R. Kelly becomes an even more appealing target when you consider how famous he is too. However, when Kelly found himself on the receiving end – it was not due to his actions, but instead due to his fame.

Fellow inmate Jeremiah Shane Farmer put hands R. Kelly in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Farmer had been in locked up since 1999. He was serving time with Kellz in the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Farmer later confessed to his strike on Kelly would bring media attention to him and his case. He was right.

Unfortunately, it did not go the way Farmer had hoped. Instead of “exposing the corruption in the government,” he was moved to a facility in Michigan where he was handed a life sentence for his involvement in the passing of two men in the ’90s.

R. Kelly is now officially behind bars for the long haul, and it is unclear how many more of these types of altercations he could possibly have. Kelly will be locked up until he’s well in his ’80s. Here’s hoping he does not run into Farmer again.