Grammy-nominated American rapper Michael Lawrence Tyler, popularly known as Mystikal, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a rape case.
The 55-year-old musician was sentenced on Tuesday for raping a woman at his home in Louisiana in 2022.
Mystikal had in March entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge after prosecutors dropped the original first-degree rape charge, which carries a mandatory life sentence upon conviction.
Days before sentencing, the rapper sought to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he made the decision while under “significant emotional distress” and “substantial pressure.” However, the court rejected the application.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim, whose identity was withheld, recounted the assault, alleging that Mystikal punched and choked her, pulled out her braids and forcibly raped her at his residence in Prairieville, Louisiana.
She urged the court to impose the maximum sentence available.
Responding to the victim’s statement, Mystikal reportedly told the court, “If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence.”
The rapper has remained behind bars since his arrest in 2022.
Nigerian Newssphere reports that Mystikal had previously been sentenced to six years in prison in 2023 after pleading guilty to a sexual battery charge.
