Rapper Mystikal, who earned multiple Grammy nominations in the early 2000s, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman at his Louisiana home in 2022.
Mystikal — whose legal name is Michael Lawrence Tyler — pleaded guilty in March to third-degree rape. The plea agreement capped his sentence at 20 years, five years below the maximum penalty. Prosecutors had originally charged him with first-degree rape, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
Days before sentencing, Tyler asked the court to withdraw his plea, saying he “did not have sufficient opportunity to fully consider the consequences,” according to Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ.
In an interview with TMZ, Tyler’s son, Million Tyler, said the case has been emotional for their family.
“I hope you get the help you really need,” he said in a message to his father. “I really hope you do.”