Mystikal Gets 20-Year Prison Sentence After Sexual Assault Case

Louisiana rapper Mystikal was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday following a sexual assault case that occurred in August 2022.

The 55-year-old musician, whose real name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, pleaded guilty in March to a reduced charge of third-degree rape. During the sentencing hearing, the victim recounted the assault and explicitly asked the judge to hand down the maximum possible sentence.

Tyler directly addressed her in court, stating: “If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence,” according to reports.

The sentencing proceeded despite a last-minute motion filed by Tyler’s defense team seeking to withdraw his guilty plea. The defense argued that Tyler “did not have sufficient opportunity to fully consider the consequences” of the plea deal and claimed he was “under significant emotional distress and felt substantial pressure to make an immediate decision.”

According to court records, the incident took place at Tyler’s residence in Prairieville, Louisiana. The victim, an acquaintance of Tyler, reported that he accused her of stealing money, exhibited rapid mood swings, and had drugs in his home. She alleged that Tyler punched her, choked her, pulled braids out of her hair, confiscated her keys and phone, and then used her phone to transfer disputed funds to himself before allowing her to leave.

The victim was hospitalized with minor injuries following the assault, leading to Tyler’s arrest and booking into the Ascension Parish Jail. Initially charged with first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and simple criminal damage, Tyler’s charges were significantly reduced under a March plea agreement that dropped nine of the total charges.

Tyler is already a lifetime registered sex offender. He previously served six years in federal prison for a sexual assault conviction dating back to 2003 and was released in 2010. In 2017, he faced separate rape and kidnapping indictments and spent 18 months in jail before being released on a $3 million bond.

This case marks Tyler’s latest legal conviction following his prior incarcerations.