Jelly Roll could face a life-changing decision over his fraught legal history, as his criminal record may be wiped clean.
Before becoming a country star, the 40-year-old, whose real name is Jason DeFord, was in and out of jail during a turbulent youth that saw him rack up about 40 arrests.
His crimes included an armed robbery he participated in at the age of 15, as well as a later conviction of drug possession with intent to distribute.
He was 23 years old and behind bars when his daughter Bailee was born in 2008, whereupon he vowed to turn his life around for her sake.
DeFord rose to stardom in 2022 and has since engaged in extensive community service, buying restaurants out for the day to feed the homeless, donating concert revenue to charities for at-risk youth and performing in treatment centers and jails.
Now he hopes to be able to travel abroad with his redemptive message – and he got a major boost Tuesday when the Tennessee Board Of Parole issued a nonbinding recommendation that he be pardoned, according to the Associated Press.
Jelly Roll could face a life-changing decision over his fraught legal history, as his criminal record may be wiped clean; pictured onstage at the Beverly Hilton this month
The decision was reached after a hearing of about an hour and 45 minutes, with one member of the board recusing themselves from the unanimous vote in his favor.
Several witnesses testified at the hearing, including Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall, who vouched for the musician’s emotional development, via USA Today.
Michael Rapino, the president and CEO of DeFord’s record label Live Nation Entertainment, wrote on the musician’s behalf about his philanthropy to at-risk youth.
Although the recommendation has been submitted by the Tennessee Board Of Parole, they have left the final decision to Republican Governor Bill Lee.
Lee told journalists Tuesday: ‘The reporting on Jelly Roll, that’s encouraging for his situation, but there are steps yet to happen in that case.’
Meanwhile DeFord responded to the result with a press statement saying: ‘This was incredible. I pray this goes through. But today was special for me, regardless.’
DeFord was sent to a juvenile detention center at 14, the start of a long rap sheet including convictions of aggravated robbery, drug dealing and shoplifting.
When he was 16, he and multiple associates ‘robbed a couple guys for some weed,’ he said during an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience. ‘It was an armed robbery. We went in there with a gun.’
Before becoming a country star, the 40-year-old, whose real name is Jason DeFord, was in and out of jail during a turbulent youth that saw him rack up about 40 arrests; pictured this month
Now he hopes to be able to travel abroad with his redemptive message – and he got a major boost Tuesday from the Tennessee Board Of Parole
In 2002 when he was 17, he and two armed males entered a house with the assistance of a female acquaintance and robbed the occupants of $350. DeFord himself was unarmed during the crime.
Crack cocaine and marijuana were found in his car in 2008, and he has also been convicted of misdemeanors such as possession of drug paraphernalia.
When he was 23 and in prison for drug dealing, he was told that his ex Felicia – a former addict who has also been to jail – had given birth to their daughter Bailee.
‘I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now,’ he told Billboard.
While incarcerated, DeFord earned his GED and attended Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous as well as a Christian program, per Fox News.
He also discovered his vocation of writing songs while he was at a detention center – a story he recounted to the Tennessee parole board.
‘It started as a passion project that felt therapeutic and would end up changing my life in ways that I never dreamed imaginable and opened doors that I’ve never thought possible,’ DeFord explained.
In 2016, he married his wife Alyssa DeFord aka Bunnie XO, with whom he gained custody of Bailee and with whom he has also welcomed a son called Noah, eight.
In 2016, he married his wife Alyssa DeFord aka Bunnie XO, with whom he gained custody of Bailee and with whom he has also welcomed a son called Noah, eight
Despite his celebrity, his criminal record still affects his life, forcing him to pay higher rates for life insurance and homeowner’s insurance ‘if I can get it at all.’
He told Joe Rogan that he and his wife were unable to acquire their dream house, even after their financial offer was initially accepted, because it was in a gated community next to a golf course that refused to allow a convicted felon to move in.
DeFord has also said his record presents difficulties in performing abroad in Canada, which is one of the reasons he sought a pardon.
‘I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be – to let them know that change is truly possible,’ he said.
‘One of the reasons I’m asking for your recommendation for this pardon is because I’m looking to take my message of redemption through the power of music and faith through the rest of the world.’
In a letter submitted to the parole board, an immigration attorney indicated that in order to travel north of the border in his present legal circumstances, DeFord would need a special permit that can involve long wait times.
Once he has more freedom to travel internationally thanks to his pardon, he also hopes ‘to go do missionary work in my 50s and 60s,’ he said.
