Mystikal has been denied bond following allegations that he beat, raped and robbed a woman during a financial dispute in his suburban home in Baton Rouge, La.
The Grammy nominee, whose real name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, was accused of attacking the woman Saturday in Prairieville and allegedly taking her car keys and holding her at his home against her will, local newspaper the Advocate reported. He also prayed with her to remove “bad spirits,” the newspaper said, citing the rapper’s arrest warrant.
The 51-year-old rapper, who is a convicted sex offender, was arrested and booked Sunday after law enforcement officials responded to a hospital where a victim who sustained minor injuries identified him as a suspect, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said. He was charged with first-degree rape, simple robbery, domestic abuse battery–strangulation, false imprisonment and simple criminal damage to property.
Mystikal appeared at a Tuesday hearing in shackles and maintained his innocence, the Advocate said. His longtime defense attorney Roy Maughan Jr. had initially asked for $250,000 bail. But Louisiana State District Judge Steven Tureau refused to set any bond for the recording artist, saying that evidence against him, his history and the accuser’s stated fears met the standard for holding him without bail, the Associated Press reported.
The “Danger (Been So Long)” artist also now faces five drug charges, according to the website XXL.
After the hearing, Maughan told the Advocate that he probably won’t appeal the bond ruling.
“There has never been any suggestion of domestic violence between them,” Maughan told reporters, XXL said. “We [are] extremely disappointed that the judge decided to hold Mr. Tyler without bond under the feeling that he could potentially do something else to the victim and I don’t think that’s in Mr. Tyler to do that.”
Maughan did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ request for comment.
The former No Limit star and the woman had reportedly been in a long-term relationship and argued over $100. Sheriff’s Det. Garrett Keith testified during the hour-long hearing Tuesday that the woman went to Mystikal’s home Saturday evening to talk about his past financial commitments to her, the Advocate said. Mystikal’s demeanor markedly changed after he went to the bathroom, and he began accusing the woman of stealing cash and beat, choked and pulled out her hair, Keith said. The hip-hop star later apologized, prayed with her and threw rubbing alcohol to cleanse her “bad spirits” before allegedly raping her, the officer testified.
Deputies later found some of the woman’s braids in the home, as well as an earring and a broken nail. The woman suffered bruises and cuts and some of her wounds were consistent with rape, Keith said.
Citing the arrest warrant, local ABC affiliate WBRZ reported that a search of the home found that the rapper had meth, Xanax, heroin, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
The “Stutter” rapper was convicted almost two decades ago of sexual battery after pleading guilty to charges in 2003, hoping to lessen the potential life sentence that a rape charge can carry in Louisiana. He served six years in prison and was released in 2010.
More recently, he was cleared of 2016 allegations of rape and kidnapping. The New Orleans-born artist had been indicted in 2017 on separate rape and kidnapping charges and spent 18 months in jail before being released in 2019 on a $3-million bond, the Associated Press reported. The Caddo Parish district attorney in Louisiana dropped the charges against him after a second grand jury declined to bring an indictment.
Donovan Jackson with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office told WBRZ that Mystikal will receive no preferential treatment because he’s famous.
“He will be in general population and incarcerated like anyone else,” Jackson said.
Maughan told the Advocate that although Mystikal is currently not contracted with a major record label, he has a number of performances and tour dates lined up in the next few months that will need to be rescheduled because of Tuesday’s ruling.
“We need to contact promoters and we need to let them know that he’s not going to be available and do our best to mitigate the damage from this,” Maughan said.