One of R. Kelly’s alleged victims, Joycelyn Savage, remains under his control, according to her family. As a result, they’re speaking out against the disgraced R&B singer’s recent request for a pardon.
The family wants to shut down any attempts at R. Kelly garnering sympathy and support for his pardon request, their attorney Gerald Griggs tells TMZ. According to Savage’s family, the last time they heard from their daughter was a short phone call in 2019. And they believe it’s because R. Kelly is still controlling her.
“We tried to reach out to Joycelyn when my father passed,” Timothy Savage said of his daughter. “We have to always reach out through his [R. Kelly] camp. Robert Sylvester’s camp.”
Each time the family has tried to contact Joycelyn, they allegedly get “no response whatsoever,” Timothy added.
They also say they haven’t been able to speak to Joycelyn directly, “it’s always through a third party,” her mother, Jonjelyn Savage, said. She also referred to the calls she has had with her daughter as “prison calls,” where the conversation comes off as “scripted.”
“I want to hear from my daughter,” Timothy declared.
Joycelyn, once engaged to R. Kelly and widely regarded as one of his victims, is believed by her family to still be alive. They remain hopeful for her well-being and say their greatest wish is to hear from her directly in a private, “one-on-one conversation.”
The Savage family’s plea comes as R. Kelly seeks a pardon from
Donald Trump. On June 17, his legal team filed a motion in a Chicago court requesting his release, alleging that he overdosed on medication administered by prison staff. Kelly claims the incident was an attempt on his life and is now asking the former president for a pardon.However, the Savage family insists that Kelly has never taken responsibility for his actions against his alleged victims. They support his conviction and want him to serve every day of his 31-year sentence.
The “Ignition” singer remains in the Federal Correctional Institute facility in Butner, North Carolina, where he’s currently serving out a 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
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