Overview

Viper Arrested for Kidnapping refers to the arrest of rapper Lee Arthur Carter, aka Viper, on charges of alleged kidnapping and holding a woman hostage in his garage for between four and five years. The Houston Police Department was originally called to the house by the victim in April 2023 and Carter was arrested in January 2024, resulting in reactions and memes online expressing shock over the allegations. Later that month, it was reported that a dead body was found in Viper's garage in July 2023, although the woman purportedly died naturally of suspected liver disease and was not believed to be connected to the kidnapping, sparking further reactions online.

Background

On January 5th, 2024, Chron^[1] reported that rapper Viper, aka Lee Arthur Carter, known for his unconventional rap style and status as a meme rapper, reported that Carter was arrested the prior day on kidnapping charges. The victim, an unhoused person, claims she had been kidnapped for "four or five years" prior. She claims she was panhandling when Carter told her to get in his car and took him to his home.

Court documents claim that Viper kept her in his garage without a working bathroom, letting her into the house occasionally to shower. Allegedly, Viper repeatedly forced himself on her during the time of her kidnapping and force-fed her drugs including crack and only fed her snacks including chips, with no substantial meals. The victim purportedly managed to escape through a garage window once but was released back to Carter after a hospital visit, after which Carter boarded up the window to prevent further escapes.

The victim managed to call the Houston Police Department on April 7th, 2023, when Carter gave her access to his computer. While on the computer, she went on the Text Now app and contacted the authorities. Purportedly, she was malnourished, around 70 lbs and her hair was "crusty" when police arrived, having not showered in two months. The victim claims she "begged" Carter for freedom every day. A pile of diapers was also found on the property. Carter's mugshot was shared in the article (shown below). Carter was released on a $100,000 bond.

Body Found In Carter's Home

On January 9th, 2024, NBC News^[2] reported that, in July 2023, a woman's body was found in the same garage where Carter had held the previous unhoused woman captive. The body reportedly belonged to 61-year-old Catherine Roberts, who was pregnant. According to the article, she had been living in the garage and died of natural causes related to liver disease and hepatitis C. Police consider this unrelated to the kidnapping charge, as she died naturally, meaning it will not be investigated as a crime. Carter's defense lawyer claimed that Carter and the woman were in a "romantic relationship" and he did not kidnap her.

Online Reactions

Carter's arrest sparked numerous reactions on social media, with many expressing shock and disgust over the arrest and allegations. On January 5th, 2024, X^[3] user @WifexOfxAgony posted, "Viper the rapper can rot in hell," garnering over 2,600 likes in a week.

On the same day, X^[4] user @CantEverDie posted a photo of a Viper album, writing, "I suppose this is a bad time to announce I bought this viper record an hour before the news about him dropped," garnering over 21,000 likes in a week (shown below).

On January 9th, X^[7] user @AmandaDannielle made a post criticizing how long it took to charge Carter, writing, "Held her captive 4 years. Took NINE months to charge him. Bail was set at $100,000. He's already out," garnering over 22,000 likes in three days. On January 12th, X^[9] user @yandhiisntreal made a post about the news of the unrelated body found in Carter's home, writing, "they found a corpse in viper’s house," garnering over 8,000 likes in under a day.

Viper's Response

On January 7th, 2024, the @RapperViper X page began posting his signature DIY album covers to X with titles suggesting that he is innocent of his alleged crimes. For example, on that day, he made a post to X^[5] sharing an album mockup titled "VIPER IS INNOCENT," garnering around 200 likes in five days (shown below, left).

On January 8th, he posted album art to X^[6] for a project titled "I'VE ONLY LIVED IN MY PERRY HOUSE 13 MONTHS!!! LOOK AT THE TAX RECORDS!! DO THE MATH!! ALL ALLEGATIONS ARE FALSE!!!!" garnering over 500 likes in four days (shown below, right).

On January 10th, the @RapperViper X^[8] page posted another album cover titled, "ALL NEWS CHANNELS WILL APOLOGIZE TO ME PUBLICLY AFTER MY EXONERATION OR BE SUED!!!" garnering around 100 likes in two days (shown below).

Search Interest

External References