Jelly Roll's Criminal Cases Take a Major Turn

Yahoo

23-04-2025

Jelly Roll just scored a major win when it comes to his criminal record — and now, he is waiting on bated breath for the final decision.
On Tuesday, April 22, Jelly Roll (real name Jason DeFord) received positive news in his request to receive a pardon for the crimes he committed as a teen and in his early 20s. The Tennessee Board of Parole recommended that the country star, now 40, be granted a full pardon, per the Associated Press. While the recommendation is a major step in freeing the four-time Grammy nominee from the major constraints the convictions have brought him, ultimately, it is Tennessee GovernorBill Lee who will make the final call.
Since rising to fame in the country scene, the "Wild Ones" singer has been candid about his rap sheet from crimes he committed in his youth and as an adult in his 20s, including an armed robbery conviction and various drug and theft cases. Jelly Roll served a year in prison following the armed robbery conviction and seven years on probation.
During Tuesday's hearing, Jelly Roll spoke out about why he wants to pursue the 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 told the board, per the AP. "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."
Jelly Roll, has made it his mission to visit prisons — even his own former juvenile detention center — to give back to the community, a community that he was part of first-hand. He also explained to the board that he would "still be using this same pardon, God willing, to go do missionary work in my 50s and 60s,' he said.
As for the difficulty the charges from his youth still impact him today, the "Save Me" artist told the board that the conditions of his cases make it extremely difficult to travel. 'It takes a team of lawyers and a mountain of paperwork to secure my entry into those countries," he explained.
Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall shared photos of himself embracing Jelly Roll at Tuesday's hearing, breaking the news that the Tennessee Board of Parole "unanimously recommended his Pardon." Hall has been advocating on the musician's behalf since requesting the pardon last year.
Jelly Roll, for his part, previously opened up to People about his time in juvenile detention, calling it the most impactful thing that ever happened in my life."
"The darkest moments of my life still were being that 15-year-old scared kid spending Thanksgiving away from his family," he recalled.