Back in 2017, Mystikal was indicted on first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping charges, later pleading not guilty. Just last month, the 48-year-old rapper was released from a Louisiana prison after posting a $3 million bond. TMZ reports that Mystikal and his lawyer Joel Pearce are now looking to get his rape charge dropped.
Pearce recently met with Louisiana prosecutors, who offered the rapper a plea deal. The prosecutors offered to change the aggravated rape charge to a third-degree rape charge, although Pearce said that they've already rejected the plea deal because Mystikal isn't willing to plead guilty to felony rape. He maintains his innocence in the case, claiming that the alleged victim has fabricated the whole story. The trial is scheduled to start in May, but due to ongoing plea negotiations, there could be a delay.
The case in question relates to a 2016 incident in which Mystikal allegedly raped a woman after a show in Shreveport, Louisiana. Pearce previously stated that he's confident that Mystikal will not be found guilty. "Based on all of the evidence we have, we strongly believe that an amicable resolution is not only possible but probable as an outcome in this case and that Michael Tyler will never be made to return to jail for a crime he didn’t commit," he explained in a statement upon Mystikal's release last month.
