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Onetime New Orleans rap star Mystikal has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape. In 2022, police in Louisiana arrested the 51-year-old Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, for first-degree rape, domestic abuse, battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and property damage.
WBRZ reports that Mystikal's victim spoke at his sentencing on Tuesday. She said asked for the maximum sentence, saying that the rapper raped her, choked her, punched her, and pulled braids out of her hair. Mystikal tried to address her during the hearing, but he was only allowed to make his statement to the judge. In his statement, he said, "If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence."
Mystikal faced a possible life sentence, but he made a plea agreement that carried a maximum sentence of 25 years. Before his sentencing, Mystikal's lawyer sought to have his guilty plea withdrawn, claiming that he didn't have time to "fully consider the consequences" of his plea. The judge dismissed the motion.
Before this rape, Mystikal already had a history of sex crimes, and he was registered as a lifetime sex offender. In 2004, he was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his hair stylist. He was charged with another rape in 2017, but that charge was dismissed three years later for lack of evidence.
If you or someone you know has undergone sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.
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