Mystikal sentenced to 20 years in Louisiana prison for rape
Rapper Mystikal has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape.
The 55-year-old (real name Michael Tyler), best known for his 2000 song ‘Shake Ya Ass’ with Pharrell, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in an Ascension Parish courtroom in March.
According to WBRZ, the New Orleans rapper was sentenced to two decades behind bars on June 16th after the victim requested a maximum sentence of 25 years.
Speaking in court this week, the victim claimed he punched her, choked her, pulled braids out of her hair, and forcibly raped her.
Addressing the courtroom after he was sentenced, Mystikal said, “If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence.” The judge added that he has to keep up with his sex offender registration following his release from prison in Louisiana.
The sentencing comes just days after he requested to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he “did not have sufficient opportunity to fully consider the consequences” before admitting to the crime.
In the motion, filed on June 12th, he stated that he was “under significant emotional distress and felt substantial pressure to make an immediate decision.” However, the motion was thrown out, and he was sentenced on the day he was originally scheduled.
In 2022, Mystikal was arrested on charges of first-degree rape, domestic abuse battery-strangulation, and false imprisonment at his Prairieville home.
A woman went to the hospital and claimed she was sexually assaulted. A spokesperson for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said, “Once we got there, we talked to the victim, who had some very visible injuries on her body, and she was very distraught.”
They continued, “She talked with us, we interviewed her, and she was able to identify who the suspect was. And in this case, it was Michael Tyler, also known as Mystikal.”