Houston, Texas, police have arrested a rap artist with a stage name of Viper on a charge of aggravated kidnapping after a woman alleged that he kept her confined in his home for approximately five years.
In what could be a fictional storyline from a direct-to-video horror movie, but is allegedly all too real, court documents indicated that the “the woman told police that [the suspect] kept her locked up in an attached garage at his property against her will for years, feeding her drugs — including crack cocaine and other narcotics — and chips while sexually assaulting her repeatedly and depriving her of a working bathroom or shower,” the Houston Chronicle reported.
Upon arriving on scene, “the officer then communicated with a voice coming from a window on the far side of the home where an attached garage stood,” which turned out to be the purportedly kidnapped woman, the Chronicle explained.
“The woman told the officer that she was in need at the time when she was approached by [the suspect], who told her to get in his car and took her back to his property.”
The captive was rescued by police and the fire department on April 7 after she contacted 911 via the TextNow app, informing them that she was being held against her will.
She was reportedly homeless and pregnant when Lee Carter, known as Viper, allegedly first encountered her panhandling on a Houston street corner and offered to “help” her, KRIV reported.
Houston first responders indicated the malnourished victim was down to about 70 pounds.
Carter subsequently told KHOU,”This is my son’s mother, so this is not a stranger. But I’m innocent. … I’ve only lived in the house and owned it for 13 months.”
Responding police officers “noticed that the garage she said she was being held captive in had a makeshift toilet that did not flush, a mattress covered with fresh vomit, a box of assorted chips and a shelf with about four to five folded shirts and 10 to 15 diapers,” KHOU separately explained, citing court paperwork.
Is the homeless crisis out of control in American cities?
If the evidence holds up, this disturbing situation appears to be yet another sad example of the corrosive effects of the homelessness crisis that is running rampant in Democrat-controlled cities, with crime and exploitation among its appalling byproducts.
What makes this incident even more disturbing is that the woman apparently managed to escape once before but “she was taken to a hospital where Carter picked her up to take her back home and lock her back in the garage,” KRIV reported.
The woman was able to text authorities in April via the app when Carter allowed her to use a laptop.
He was arrested on Jan. 4 pursuant to the kidnapping charge, according to KHOU.
Lee Carter, a Houston-based rapper who performs under the stage name Viper, has been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping after allegedly holding a woman captive in his home for four to five years: https://t.co/7LrjK0cSse pic.twitter.com/dyar1SLRnP
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) January 7, 2024
Police have yet to explain why it took about nine months to take Carter into custody on an outstanding warrant.
He was apparently arrested at a Houston-area motel.
Nor do authorities know if the woman actually gave birth or the whereabouts of the purported child.
Carter, 52, was processed and released from jail on house arrest subject to a $100,000 bond along with a requirement to wear an ankle monitor.
Carter’s lawyer claimed that his client and the victim “were actually in a relationship, and he did not kidnap anyone,” KTRK-TV reported.
While promoting is music on X, Viper again proclaimed his innocence:
I AM INNOCENT!!! I AM OUT OF JAIL!!!
I DID NOT DO ANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS
AND I WILL BE FULLY EXONERATED
AND MY EVIDENCE
WILL PROVE MY INNOCENENCE!!!
Tape or CD
AND AVAILABLE NOW!!!
ON ALL ONLINE MUSIC
STREAMING PLATFORMS
& ON ALL ONLINE STORES!!!!!
AND at https://t.co/eadvTNf50R pic.twitter.com/zQCVVz3Kxy— Viper (@RapperViper) January 9, 2024
More facts will likely unfold in this case with the investigation turned over to the human trafficking division of the Harris County, Texas, district attorney’s office.
Carter is due back in court next month.
Note: Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless or until convicted in a court of law.
