Rapper Mystikal, born Michael Tyler, 54, the Grammy-nominated musician has been languishing in jail since his July 2022 arrest, held without bond. His charges are serious: first-degree rape, domestic abuse, battery by strangulation, simple robbery, and false imprisonment. Mystikal has denied the allegations against him.
The hearing lasted most of the day but concluded without resolution again. There were no verdicts, new dates, or new strategies in court; there was just more waiting. A gag order is still in effect, which means no one from either legal team is saying anything in public, and once again, the fans and followers are left to wonder what's going on behind the scenes.
Mystikal's family sat quietly in the courtroom while his family and friends waited outside in the halls. His mother, who said little, provided the most sincere public words of the day: "I'm praying for him."
In Prairieville, L A., on an unsettling claim at home. The alleged victim told the officer that a disagreement over money turned violent, according to police records. She says the rapper punched and choked her, pulled out her hair, and instructed her in a prayer session to "get rid of bad spirits" in a horrifying moment, she says, topped with the rape.
As the court process remains frozen in purgatory, so does Mystikal's future. In the days after his arrest, a Louisiana State District Judge declined to set bail for him, noting the severity of the charges against him as well as his criminal record.
This isn't Mystikal's first brush with accusations of sexual assault. He pleaded guilty to sexual battery and extortion in 2003 and served six years in prison. Also, as one who is already a registered sex offender, these new allegations tend to hold more favor with the court.
Mystikal has vehemently denied the new allegations by this current attorney and claims he is an innocent man. Nevertheless, the absence of court progress has led to many unanswered questions. With no trial date in sight, the case lay stalled, shrouded in legal briefs and silence on both sides.
Another hearing is scheduled for next week to hear from legal teams on potential next steps. But given the lack of evident movement over two years, there's no telling when that change might come.
For his part, Mystikal is still being held in the Ascension Parish Jail, and what happens next to his personal life and the terms of the law remains in the air.
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