Mystikal Indicted and Facing Life Sentence on Six Charges, Including False Imprisonment
Updated Sept. 12 2022, 5:56 p.m. ET
Content warning: This article mentions instances of sexual assault and allegations of rape.
Michael Lawrence Tyler (aka Mystikal) was arrested by the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office on Sunday, July 31, 2022, on six charges, including first-degree rape, domestic abuse battery, false imprisonment, simple robbery, and simple criminal damage to property.
The 51-year-old rapper was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail in Louisiana. He is being held without a bond. What happened?
Mystikal was arrested on five charges including first-degree rape.
The rapper, who first skyrocketed to fame with the 1995 album "Mind of Mystikal," is in deep trouble. Mystikal was arrested on Sunday, July 31, 2022, after the Ascension Parish Sheriff received a call pertaining to a sexual assault case from a Louisiana hospital.
"According to Sheriff Bobby Webre, on July 30, at approximately 11:58 p.m., deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to an area hospital in reference to a sexual assault," Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. "Detectives interviewed the victim who sustained minor injuries during the attack."
"Through further investigation, Michael 'Mystikal' Tyler was identified as a suspect," the Facebook announcement continues. "He was arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. He is charged with first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery — strangulation, false imprisonment, and simple criminal damage to property. This is an ongoing investigation. Further details may be limited at this time."
Mystikal was indicted for his rape and assault allegations and is facing life in prison.
In September 2022, Variety reported that Mystikal could face permanent time for his alleged crimes. On Thursday, Sept. 8, a Louisiana jury indicted the rapper on charges of first-degree rape and the other charges listed above.
If the jury finds Mystikal guilty of the crimes, state law would require him to serve a life sentence. However, Mystikal’s legal team seemingly isn’t bothered by the indictment and wants him to prove his innocence in court.
“It’s an indictment,” Mystikal’s attorney, Joel Pearce, said, per Variety. “It means nothing. We look forward to our day in court.”
This isn't Mystikal's first run-in with the law.
Mystikal served three months in the East Baton Rouge Parish jail in 2012 for a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge. It's understood that the rapper violated the terms of his probation. He was released in August 2012.
Mystikal was also registered as a sex offender in Louisiana after a district court judge in Baton Rouge sentenced him to six years in prison for sexual battery and extortion in January 2004. He served the full term at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. He was released on Jan. 14, 2010.
In January 2006, Mystikal was sentenced to one year in prison for tax evasion.
Mystikal received a one-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of tax evasion.
According to Today, he owed the federal government $271,000 in taxes. He pleaded guilty to failing to file a tax return on the $824,916 he made in 1998 and the $930,953 he took home in 1999. He was allowed to serve the prison sentence concurrently to the six years for sexual battery and extortion.
Sex offenders in Louisiana must register for 15 years following their release from jail, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Mystikal may have to continue to do so for the rest of his life, depending on the prison sentence received.
Details about Mystikal's upcoming court case are not yet publicly available.
