Nelly has beaten the rap for sexual assault, People magazine reported Thursday.
Prosecutors in King County, Washington, said in a statement that the rapper — legal name Cornell Haynes Jr. — will not be prosecuted for an alleged rape aboard his tour bus in the early morning hours of Oct. 7, citing the alleged victim’s refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
“[W]ithin days of her initial report to police, the complainant, through her attorney, informed investigators from the Auburn police department that she did not wish to assist in prosecution or the investigation,” the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
The formal move to drop charges comes two months after the alleged victim first made clear she had no interest in pursuing the matter in court.
On Oct. 13, a lawyer representing the victim released a statement calling on police and prosecutors to drop the matter.
“Today she is telling the Auburn Police Department and the King County Prosecutor’s Office to put a halt to the criminal investigation of Cornell Haynes, Jr. (aka “Nelly”). She will not testify further in a criminal proceeding against him,” Seattle personal-injury attorney Karen Koehler in an open letter on her website at the time.
“She wishes she had not called 911 because … she believes the system is going to fail her,” Ms. Koehler wrote then. “Who will believe her. People are already saying horrible things. She cannot handle this. She is about to break. She wants to close the door. She wants this to end. She just cannot bear it.”
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.