Mystikal, the New Orleans rapper born Michael Tyler, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a reduced charge of third-degree rape in an Ascension Parish courtroom, avoiding a possible mandatory life sentence but still facing up to 20 years behind bars. The judge ordered a presentence investigation and tentatively set a sentencing hearing for June. Tyler had been indicted in 2022 on more serious counts, including first-degree rape, domestic abuse by strangulation, false imprisonment and simple robbery.
According to WAFB, Tyler entered the plea in an Ascension Parish courtroom and remains in custody. The station reports the judge called for the presentence investigation as part of the deal and that the plea lowers the severity of the charges he was facing. WAFB also notes Tyler has been held without bond since his arrest in July 2022.
WBRZ reports the alleged victim told investigators Tyler beat, choked and robbed her at his Ascension Parish home. She said he took her keys and phone so she could not leave, then forced her to send him money via Cash App. The outlet adds that prosecutors originally indicted Tyler on first-degree rape, simple criminal damage to property, domestic abuse by strangulation, simple robbery and false imprisonment, and that he ultimately pleaded to an amended charge of third-degree rape.
The Guardian noted the plea came shortly before a trial that had been scheduled for later this month. A conviction on the original first-degree rape charge would have carried a mandatory life term under Louisiana law. The Guardian also reports that Tyler now faces up to 20 years on the reduced count and that sentencing has been tentatively set for June.
Tyler, whose mainstream hits include "Shake Ya Ass" and "Danger (Been So Long)", has a lengthy legal history. As reported by Hot 97, he was convicted in 2003 of sexual battery, served a six-year prison sentence and was required to register as a sex offender. Local reporting says deputies responded to a hospital on July 30, 2022, after a sexual assault report and later identified Tyler as a suspect.
What the plea means legally
The plea agreement removes the immediate risk of a life sentence that came with the first-degree rape indictment, but it still leaves Tyler exposed to the possibility of decades in prison if the court imposes a near-maximum term. As WBRZ explains, the judge will review a presentence investigation report and other filings before deciding on a sentence in the coming months.
The case now shifts from a contested trial calendar to a sentencing process built around reports and statutory guidelines, and the earlier trial date will not move forward because of the plea. According to WAFB, court documents and the presentence report are expected to guide the judge's decision when Tyler returns to court.
Local outlets that first reported the plea say they will continue tracking new court filings and the sentencing process. We will update this story as additional public records and filings become available.
