Lee Carter: Houston rapper 'Viper' arrested for holding woman captive at his home for nearly five years

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Texas rapper Lee Carter was taken into custody on Thursday, January 4, 2024, on suspicion of kidnapping and enslaving a woman for four years in his garage, according to court documents.

The 52-year-old, known by his rap alias Viper, is also accused of s*xually abusing the woman. He is currently being held in Harris County Jail on a $100,000 bond and is charged with aggravated kidnapping.

According to the authorities, the woman was severely malnourished when they discovered her.

Lee Carter accused of s*xually abusing woman for years

A Houston Police Department officer showed up at Carter's residence on April 7, 2023, according to court documents obtained by Chron. According to reports, the policeman was responding to an ongoing kidnapping.

According to court records, the officer was speaking with someone who appeared to be speaking through a window on the side of the house with the attached garage. The woman claimed to have spent four or five years in Lee's custody when speaking with the officer.

The woman allegedly told ABC 13 that Lee Carter would s*xually abuse her and coerce her into using drugs, including crack cocaine.

The article also stated that the woman's whereabouts are unknown to the Houston police. The police said they were unable to verify whether she was a victim of human trafficking.

Carter reportedly picked up the woman after giving her a dollar while she was panhandling in Almeda Genoa. The woman was allegedly pregnant when she was abducted.

She told the police that Lee Carter had asked if she needed assistance, and upon hearing that she did, he had asked her to enter his vehicle. After that, he took her to his Houston home on Perry Street.

The woman went on to say that Carter had been holding her captive in the house ever since, abusing her sexually and making her take drugs. She continued by saying that even though she made a few attempts to flee, she was unsuccessful.

The woman continued by saying that she hadn't had a full meal in a while but that she was given chips and snacks for meals and could exit the garage to take a shower.

The woman weighed just 70 pounds and was severely malnourished when the authorities discovered her. They observed that she was being kept in an extremely dirty and unsanitary garage.

'Everything from day one was a red flag'

Neighbor Jedediah Beights reported to police that they never saw anything suspicious going on at Lee Carter's residence.

However, after speaking with Carter, they concluded that illicit activity had been occurring there. Beights said that the house raised "a red flag" for them in every way.

"All of it gave me a red flag. Everything from day one was a red flag," Beights said and added, "He didn't do anything. That wasn't a red flag."

Jedediah continued by saying that the police had visited his home a year prior on the pretext that someone had called from within. The individual was either "kidnapped or not able to leave on her own," according to what they said.

In addition to being charged with aggravated kidnapping, Lee has also been given a $100,000 bail. In addition, the court has established several conditions that Lee Carter must fulfill to be released.

He must always wear an ankle monitor and cannot communicate with the victim. As previously stated, neither the location of the infant nor the victim is known to the authorities.