Warning: This article contains details and accusations of sexual and physical abuse
The Houston rapper Viper has been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping, after allegedly holding a woman hostage for several years.
In court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle, the rapper – real name Lee Carter – was arrested on Thursday (January 4).
The alleged victim has said that Carter held her captive for four or five years, being forced to live in his garage. She says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted, forced to take crack cocaine and deprived of the ability to wash.
Police had first been alerted to the case back in April 2023, when a kidnapping was reported. The woman said she had been taken by Carter while panhandling and held in an attached garage in his South Houston property.
The documents allege she was occasionally let into the rest of Carter’s home. It also outlines an alleged incident where the woman was able to break out of the garage through the window, only to be taken by police to hospital and later released back to Carter.
The documents outline that Carter allowed the woman to access his laptop for a period on April 7, 2023, at which point she used a text app to contact the police and say that she had been held hostage.
When police encountered the woman, she is said to have “weighed approximately 70 pounds”, appearing severely malnourished. Authorities said her mattress was covered in fresh vomit, remnants of snack food and a “makeshift toilet”.
The woman’s hair was described as “crusty” and she claimed not to have showered in two months.
Carter releases homemade hip-hop records under the name Viper that have been categorised as influential in the cloud rap and vaporwave communities. His most high-profile release was 2008’s ‘You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack’.
Carter has not commented publicly on the accusations. He is scheduled to appear in a Houston court for a preliminary hearing on Monday (January 8).
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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