New Orleans rapper Mystikal was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with his 2022 rape case.
Details on Mystikal’s rape case and the victim’s account of the incident
On Tuesday, the “Danger” rapper, Michael Lawrence Tyler, 55, appeared before a judge in the 23rd Judicial District Court in Gonzales, Louisiana, after pleading guilty to third-degree rape on March 17, according to WRBZ and Louisiana First News.
Tyler was sentenced without the possibility of parole and will receive credit for time served. He also must register as a sex offender upon his release.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence on Tyler. She described the assault, stating that the rapper punched her, choked her, pulled braids out of her hair and forcibly raped her. The woman also said the ordeal had taken a significant toll on her mental and physical health, per WRBZ.
Tyler responded, saying, “If that’s what I did, I deserve every day of this sentence. I’m sorry. I hope you heal.”
What was Mystikal originally charged with in the case?
The “Shake Ya Ass” rapper was initially arrested in 2022 in connection with the attack that occurred at his Prairieville home.
He faced multiple charges, including first-degree rape, domestic abuse battery, false imprisonment, simple robbery and simple criminal damage to property, according to WRBZ and Blavity.
At the time, police responded to a local hospital after receiving a report of a victim who was sexually assaulted. They spoke to the person and learned the victim had sustained minor injuries in the attack.
Tyler was later booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.
Tyler had faced previous sexual assault allegations before this case. In 2004, he was convicted of sexually assaulting his hairstylist and served six years in prison. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
In 2017, the rapper was jailed again after being accused of sexual assault, but he was released on a $3 million bond, and the charges were later dropped, per Blavity.