Houston rapper Viper has been charged with kidnapping and assault, less than two months after being arrested for a similar crime.
The newest charges, made public on Wednesday (February 28) following Viper’s arrest the day before, involve a different woman than the earlier case.
AD LOADING...
Viper (real name Lee Carter) is accused of abducting the woman, identified only by her initials, “on or about” July 4, 2021, according to court records viewed by HipHopDX.
The Chron reports that the sexual assault was alleged to occur 10 days after the kidnapping.
AD LOADING...
Prosecutors are currently asking for a $200,000 bond, claiming that one of the reasons for the high ask is that “The Defendant has a pending Violation of a Protective Order for contacting a different Complainant while on bond.” The rapper is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday (March 1).
Viper’s attorney, Murray Newman of Newman & Chapell, PLLC, told HipHopDX that he’d just come onto the case on Thursday (February 29) following the resignation of Viper’s previous lawyer.
“I can tell you that the circumstances surrounding the case are complicated and pretty strange, to be honest,” Newman said. “We are going to begin our investigation into it immediately, but until we have done that, we won’t have an official comment on the case.”
Back in January, Viper was accused of keeping a homeless woman in his garage in awful conditions. She managed to escape after accessing his computer to call for help.
AD LOADING...
Though escaping in April, authorities only arrested Viper in January. It is not known why it took around nine months to arrest him.
According to authorities, the woman weighed just 90lbs and was pregnant when she was found. Her current condition and age are unknown.
AD LOADING...
According to prosecutors, after the woman called emergency services from Viper’s laptop to inform them she was being held against her will, a Houston Fire Department crew arrived at the home and forced open the garage door to find her living in what they call “putrid” conditions.
The affidavit says the room included “a makeshift toilet that did not flush,” a mattress “covered in fresh vomit” and a few packages of chips and Twinkies.
The documents allege that Carter repeatedly sexually assaulted her and gave her crack cocaine.
It is also alleged that the woman was once able to escape the property and go to a hospital but the police released her back into the custody of Viper.
AD LOADING...
Another woman was later found dead at Viper’s property. The body of 61-year-old Catherine Roberts was apparently discovered last July and she allegedly lived in the same garage as the other woman.
According to medical examiner’s records, Roberts died from liver disease and hepatitis C, complicated by internal bleeding.
AD LOADING...
Viper is not currently being investigated over Roberts’ death and it is believed the two incidents are not related.
The rapper is best known as an innovator of cloud rap and for viral album titles such as You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack.
