The conviction of Mike Tyson for the SA of Desiree Washington remains a pivotal moment in the history of celebrity trials in the United States.
Desiree Washington, a college student and reigning Miss Black Rhode Island, made serious allegations against Mike Tyson in July 1991. She accused Tyson of ra**ng her in his room at the Canterbury Hotel in Indianapolis, where she had traveled to attend the Miss Black America pageant. The encounter had initially occurred during the show’s rehearsal when Washington and Tyson crossed paths.
A day after the incident, Washington sought medical attention at Methodist Hospital, reporting the incident. Her testimony in court detailed how Tyson had invited her to his room and forcibly assaulted her. Following a widely covered two-week trial, Tyson was found guilty in February 1992.
Judge Patricia J. Gifford sentenced him to 10 years in prison, with the last four years suspended. However, Tyson consistently asserted his innocence, maintaining that he did not SA Desiree Washington.
The trial of Mike Tyson unfolded amidst a series of high-profile celebrity trials, including the William Kennedy Smith trial and the O.J. Simpson trial. These cases captivated public attention and dominated newspaper columns and television programs, contributing to a cultural climate of intense scrutiny and fascination.
The Tyson case ignited passionate debates about racial biases within the criminal justice system and the complex issue of consent. Tyson ended up serving 3 years in prison.
These discussions resonated deeply and continue to shape conversations surrounding similar cases today. The boxer himself attributed the verdict to racial undertones, noting that the trial took place in Indiana, historically associated with the KKK in his biography.
“I knew from the start that I’d get no justice. I wasn’t being tried in New York or Los Angeles; we were in Indianapolis, Indiana, historically one of the strongholds of the Ku Klux Klan. […] I had been found guilty by a jury of my “peers,” only one of whom was Black.”
“The other Black jury member had been excused by the judge after a fire in the hotel where the jurors were staying. She dismissed him because of his ‘state of mind.'”
A while ago Tyson talked about the case again revealing:
“I’m not above violating a woman. But I didn’t violate that woman. Just keeping it real. Keeping it real. Especially back then. Back then, I wasn’t above violating taking no pu**y stuff”
Tyson later clarified he’s thankful for the episode and the change of perspective it had provided him:
“I’m over that. I’m doing that. This is so much different than anything I ever experienced in my life.”