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Jelly Roll has been granted clemency for crimes committed more than two decades ago. The "Son of a Sinner" singer (born Jason DeFord) was among the 33 people pardoned by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on December 18, MS NOW reported.
"After thoroughly reviewing the merits of each case, I have decided to grant 33 individuals executive clemency," Lee announced in an email. "Each individual case is unique and warranted consideration, and I thank the Board of Parole members for their thoughtful recommendations throughout this process."
The governor believed Jelly Roll, 41, was a "man who should get a pardon."
"Jelly Roll's story was remarkable, redemptive, and powerful," he told reporters in a conference call, per the Nashville Tennessean, "and it was evident he should get a pardon."
According to Jelly Roll's own account, he was arrested 40 times for drug-related offenses during his adolescence and early twenties. His most serious charge was aggravated robbery, for which he served more than a year in prison and seven years on probation.
"I never want to overlook the fact that it was a heinous crime," he told Billboard in 2023. "This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid that made the worst decision that he could have made in life, and people could have gotten hurt, and, by the grace of God, thankfully, nobody did."
He kept going: "I was charged as an adult years before I could buy a beer, lease an apartment, or get a pack of cigarettes."
Jelly Roll turned. over a new leaf when his daughter Bailee, who he shares with ex Felicia Beckwith, was born in 2008 amid his incarceration.
“It’s like a Damascus Road experience in the Bible," he recalled during a 2023 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. "I immediately was like, ‘I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to quit this s–--t. I gotta to figure it out.'”
During his time behind bars, Jelly Roll also discovered his passion for songwriting, leading him to pursue a career in music once he was released. Since then, the "Need a Favor" artist—married to Bunnie Xo since 2016—has used his platform to spread awareness on mental health and addiction issues.
He's also expressed remorse for his past crimes, sharing that he's "thought about reaching out" to the victims of the robbery to apologize.
"I had no business taking from anybody," Jelly Roll, who applied for a pardon for his crimes last year, said in a 2024 episode of the On Purpose podcast. "Just the entitlement that I had, that the world owed me enough to come take your belongings. It's such a horrible way to look at life and people. "What a terrible way to interact with the Earth."
