Jewell death suspect case to be dropped?

The attorney for the suspect in the beating death of Real Housewives Of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss's ex-fiancé Ashley Jewell has suggested that the case may be dismissed.

Fredrick Richardson was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter earlier this month for the fatal altercation, which took place in the parking lot of strip club Body Tap.

He later posted $10,000 (£6,109) bond and was released from jail.

Richardson's attorney Dennis Scheib has now said that he believes the charges against his client will be dropped, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

"I've been told my client will be okay. I think they're going to dismiss it," he said. "[Jewell] whipped my client's ass. My client got jumped on. He was just defending himself."

A preliminary autopsy performed on Jewell indicated that the 34-year-old had suffered from sickle cell anemia, which may have been a contributing factor in his death rather than a blow to the head as was first reported. The Fulton County medical examiner is said to be awaiting further test results before announcing the official cause of death.

Scheib has claimed that Richardson, who will only return to court if he is indicted on the pending manslaughter charges, should not have been jailed until the probe into Jewell's death was completed.

A friend of Burruss recently said that the 33-year-old is "doing much better".