| Alex Andrew Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 8, 1967 Darien, Connecticut |
| Conviction(s) | Rape (2 counts) |
| Penalty | 16 years imprisonment |
| Status | On probation |
Alexander Andrew Kelly (born May 8, 1967) is a convicted rapist from Darien, Connecticut. He was born the second of three brothers.
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Alex Kelly was charged with committing two rapes within a four-day period in Darien, Connecticut, in 1986. He was charged first with the rape of a 16-year-old Stamford girl, and then of a teenager in Darien. In one of the rapes, according to the police, he encountered a girl who lived near him and offered her a ride home from a party. He was later also charged with drug possession and two counts of kidnapping.
Before his trial was due to begin in 1987, Kelly fled the United States and spent the next seven years on the run, mostly in Europe.[1] Kelly's parents allegedly supported him financially during this seven-year period, although they may have been unaware of his exact locations. Law enforcement authorities suspected that the parents had been in contact with their son and, on at least one occasion, raided the parents' house in an attempt to find evidence of Kelly's location or their assistance to him.[2] In 1991, while Kelly was on the run, his older brother Chris, then age 26, died of a drug overdose.
In 1995, the Connecticut State Police discovered photos in the Kelly home of Alex with his parents in Europe the previous year. Though his parents claimed to have no knowledge of his whereabouts, the photos told a different story and they were to be charged with obstruction. Kelly surrendered to authorities in Switzerland after learning of the charges of obstruction pending against his parents. He was extradited from Switzerland to the United States in order to stand trial on rape and kidnapping charges. Several lesser counts were excluded, as they were not specifically listed in the extradition treaty between the two nations.[3] Kelly faced two trials in 1997. After the first was declared a mistrial, the second resulted in his conviction for the first rape and a sentence of 17 years in prison.[4] He pleaded no contest to the second rape and was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison.[5]
In 2005, after having served eight years of his 27-year sentence, Kelly appeared before a Connecticut parole board; his bid for release was rejected.[6]
On November 24, 2007, Kelly was released from prison on "good behavior". He is required to serve 10 years probation, perform 200 hours of community service, pay a $10,000 fine, and register with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry. Kelly claims that, while in prison, he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and third-world development.[7]
Alex Kelly's story was recounted in an episode of Dominick Dunne's Court TV series Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice.
It was also dramatized in the television movie Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly (also known as The Return of Alex Kelly), a two-hour production originally broadcast on March 16, 1999.[8] Kelly was portrayed by actor Matthew Settle in the telefilm.
The Kelly case was also featured in an episode of A&E Network's series American Justice.