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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman who accused rapper Nelly of rape won’t testify

Rapper Nelly is shown performing at the EA SPORTS Madden Bowl 2015 in Phoenix. (Donald Traill / Associated Press)
Associated Press

SEATTLE – A woman who said the rapper Nelly raped her on his tour bus in a Seattle suburb over the weekend is dropping her pursuit of criminal charges.

News outlets report that attorney Karen Koehler said in a statement Friday that her client wanted to stop the investigation and would refuse to testify in court.

Koehler says the woman “wishes she had not called 911 because she believes the system is going to fail her.”

Auburn police arrested Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., early Saturday in his tour bus at a Walmart. He was booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree rape and released later that day.

He has not been charged with a crime.

Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, has called the rape claim a “completely fabricated allegation.”