Photo: HipHopDX
DNA evidence connected him and another man to the crime.
By Emily Blackwood — Written on Aug 23, 2017
Michael Tyler, better known as the rapper Mystikal, is currently in jail on a $2 million dollar bond for raping a woman last October at a casino in Louisiana.
He turned himself in Aug. 21 after a warrant went out charging him with first-degree rape. The 46-year-old performed at a nearby venue the day before the incident.
DNA evidence allegedly linked him to the crime.
If you're unfamiliar with the name Mystikal — who's collaborated with the likes of Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes — you might recognize his most popular song which came out in 2000.
Though police began investigating the crime when it was first reported in October, charges weren't filed until after a DNA analysis could be completed.
Mystikal waited a full week before turning himself into the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Department. Details of the crime are not being released.
This isn't the first time the rapper has been charged with a sexual crime. Below are the latest details about the crime, and Mystikal's history of violence.
1. Another man was also charged in connection to the crime.
Averweone Holman, a local rapper known as Lil Hood, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in connection with the rape. DNA evidence also linked him.
The 26-year-old is being held on a $2 million bond for first-degree rape. A woman named Jessica Banks was arrested with Holman for assaulting an officer.
Holman was featured on two of Mystikal's songs recently.
2. A woman is on the run for accessory to the rape.
Tenichia Wafford is currently on the run because police say she tried to strong-arm the alleged victim into dropping the charges, according to TMZ.
She told them that she called the victim, who she says is her friend, and that the victim told her there was no rape. Wafford says she recorded the conversation, but she's still on the run from police for being an accessory to rape.
3. Mystikal is planning on pleading not guilty.
A member of Mystikal's posse told TMZ that the charges are false and that the rapper plans on pleading not guilty.
4. He could serve life in prison if convicted.
If found guilty, Mystikal could face life in prison for first-degree rape without the possibility of parole, probation or suspension of sentence, according to Louisiana's state legislature.
5. Before he turned himself in, his friends thought he had committed suicide.
In the week that Mystikal was being searched for by the police, his friends were reportedly worried about his mental health.
They thought he was preparing to commit suicide.
"Mystikal is gone," said an inside source. "No one has heard from him. I want him to stand up to the charges, but I'm worried. That rape charge carries a sentence of life imprisonment. He might end up killing himself."
6. His sister was murdered.
In 1994, Mystikal's older sister was brutally murdered. Michelle was stabbed and strangled; Mystikal found her body.
Her boyfriend, Damion Neville, initially confessed to murdering her, but he later claimed police beat him. He was acquitted after his attorney convinced the jury that drug dealers Neville owed money too killed Michelle.
“It doesn’t matter how much I attain and how many accolades I achieve," he said in an interview. "I’ll never have it all without her.”
7. He was in prison for six years for forcing his hairstylist to perform sex acts.
In 2013, Mystikal pleaded guilty to sexual battery and extortion for forcing his hairstylist to perform oral sex on him and two bodyguards. They also accused her of stealing $80,000 in checks.
All three men pleaded guilty, and Mystikal was sent to prison for six years.
9. He was arrested for domestic abuse battery in 2012.
A few years after he was released from prison, he was arrested again on a misdemeanor charge of domestic abuse battery after getting into a fight with his domestic partner.
He was detained for nine days and released on bail but was later given a three-month sentence for violating his probation from his previous sentence.
Emily Blackwood is an Editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, dating, relationships and everything in between. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).