Desiree Washington Wiki (Bio, Age, Net Worth, Now, Today, Mike Tyson)
Even today, Mike Tyson remains to be one of the most iconic and most important boxers in the history of the sport. For years he was hailed as the “Greatest Boxer of All Times”. If there was someone after Muhammad Ali who could take the throne, it was Mike Tyson. His agility, ferocity, aggression and physique was absolutely perfect for any boxer to win any match. However, his life has seen quite a lot of ups and downs over the years, but the biggest setback came during the trial of Desiree Rape Case. In 1991, Tyson was accused of raping a young girl named Desiree Washington in his hotel room and later served jail time for it.
The Desiree Washington Rape Case was one of the darkest moments of Mike Tyson’s career and till date remains to be very infamous. Let’s talk more about Mike Tyson and this rape case.
Mike Tyson – Personal Life and Career
Born in 1966, Michael Gerard Tyson who has nicknames “Iron Mike” and “Kid Dynamite” to his name, is one of the “Best Heavyweight Boxers of All Time”. For years Mike Tyson has set the benchmarks for boxing so high, that people had no other option but to hail him as the greatest of all time. He was the World Heavyweight Champion from 1987 – 1990. Mike was the youngest ever boxer to claim the World Heavyweight Championship at an age of only 20 years and 4 months. During his time, Mike was also one of the richest boxer in US.
After he defeated Frank Bruno, Mike Tyson was one of the very few boxers who regained their championship back after losing it. The list includes legendary names like Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, and Tim Witherspoon. He is a proud member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. ESPN placed Mike at No. 1 position for being “The Hardest Hitter in Heavyweight History”. Mike is also an inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame because of his appearances in the very famous Wrestling entertainment TV show.
Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006 and after retirement he has taken part in acting, training and other professional activities. He is also holds 6th longest unified championship reign in the history of boxing. After a harsh time, Mike Tyson was able to recover well in the last few years and has been able to create a positive image about his character once again.
Who is Desiree Washington? What’s The Trial?
Desiree Washington was the woman who had accused Mike Tyson of raping her in a hotel room in Rhode Island. Too much information regarding her personal life is not available because it was never revealed to the media. So what had actually happened in 1991? Did Mike Tyson really did it? Let’s find that out here.
Born in 1973, Desiree Washington was the Miss Black Rhode Island back in 1991. She met Tyson in Indianapolis and there Mike asked her if she would come to meet him. She agreed and Mike gave him his room number. According to Desiree’s testimony, when she visited the room, he found that Mike was drunk and asked her to get physically intimate with him. However, Desiree refused to do do. It is then, Mike got really angry and forced himself upon her all about a sudden. When she begged for release and punched Mike to get off him, he became even more aggressive and violent with her. Desiree says that she had no other option but to give up in that situation at that time.
Trial For The Rape Case – after coming back from the hotel, Desiree Washington visited her apartment and told her roommate that Mike Tyson has raped her. A 911 call was placed immediately and they called for the police. The victim openly accused Mike Tyson about raping her in his hotel room in Indianapolis. The Desiree Washington Rape Trial took place from 26th January 1992 – 10th February, 1992. It was Marion County superior court where the case was fought and managed. Over the next few weeks dozen of witnesses and other evidences were fetched to prove the incident.
The doctor who examined Washington within 24 hours of the incident, clearly confirmed that the physical condition of her genitals indicated a rape case. Mike Tyson’s chauffer also said that when he dropped her to her apartment, she was in a”state of shock and look dazed”. He wanted to ask her what happened to her but he was not sure if it would be right to do so.
Mike Tyson, under the defense lawyer Vincent J. Fuller, claimed that every single thing that night happened with her full consent. He did not rape her and she was very much interested in getting into physical intimacy with him. The lawyer stated that Desiree was an economically backward woman who was trying to take a big advantage of the situation and grab money from Mike Tyson – simply a gold digger. The Trial received huge media attention and was in almost every newspapers. Tyson’s supporters were absolutely furious with Desiree and said she was being jealous of his success as a boxer.
Mike Tyson’s Conviction and Sentencing
After two weeks of trial and court proceedings, it was concluded that Desiree Washington, aged 18 at that time, was telling the truth and that she had been raped by Mike Tyson. The Indiana Court of Appeals clearly ruled against Mike Tyson in what turned out to be 2–1 vote. On 26th March, 1992, Mike was sentenced to prison for a tenure of 6 years. Even though he was 25 years old at that time, Mike was taken to the Indiana Youth Center in April 1992. On March 1995, Mike was released from the prison before his term was over and finished. Under the laws, Mike Tyson was now a Tier II sex offender as stated by the US Federal Law.
Desiree Washington Net Worth
The incident allowed Desiree and her lawyer to get hold of quite a bit of money from Mike Tyson which were paid as compensation. Even though Mike was released from prison only after 4 years for good behavior, he still had to pay a very hefty legal fee and charges. It is said that he was charged at least $200,000 for the case and paid an additional fine of $30,000. Prosecutors also asked Mike to pay another $150,000 to the local justice department. Any other information regarding handing of money to Desiree Washington is still not known to us.
Mike Tyson’s Comeback in The Ring
After being released from the prison, Mike Tyson got into doing what he did best – boxing. He practiced for a year and finally made a comeback against Peter McNeeley and Buster Mathis Jr. His comeback match successfully grossed more than $96 million globally. At least 1.52 million homes bought the PPV and watched the match live. The fight is considered as one of the top 50 Greatest TV Sports Moments of All Time in 1998. Since then, Tyson had quite an amazing career and tried to revive himself once again in front of his fans.
