Opening Arguments in the Mike Tyson Rape Trial (January 30, 1992)

Rape trial and prison
Tyson was arrested in July 1991 for the rape of 18-year-old Desiree Washington, in an Indianapolis hotel room. Tyson's rape trial at the Marion County superior court lasted from January 26 to February 10, 1992.[76]

Partial corroboration of Washington's story came via testimony from Tyson's chauffeur who confirmed Desiree Washington's state of shock after the incident. Further testimony came from the emergency room physician who examined Washington more than 24 hours after the incident and confirmed that Washington's physical condition was consistent with rape.[77]

Under lead defense lawyer Vincent J. Fuller's direct examination, Tyson claimed that everything had taken place with Washington's full consent and he claimed not to have forced himself upon her. When he was cross-examined by lead prosecutor Gregory Garrison, Tyson denied claims that he had misled Washington and insisted that she wanted to have sex with him.[78] Tyson was convicted on the rape charge on February 10, 1992, after the jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours.[79]

Alan Dershowitz, acting as Tyson's counsel, filed an appeal urging error of law in the Court's exclusion of evidence of the victim's past sexual conduct (known as the Rape Shield Law), the exclusion of three potential defense witnesses, and the lack of a jury instruction on honest and reasonable mistake of fact.[80] The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled against Tyson in a 2–1 vote.[80] The Indiana Supreme Court let the lower court opinion stand due to a 2–2 split in its review. The tie vote was due to the fact that the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court recused himself from the case. The Chief Justice later revealed he did so because of a heated argument between his wife and Dershowitz at a Yale Law School reunion concerning the case.[81] On March 26, 1992, Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison along with four years of probation.[82] He was assigned to the Indiana Youth Center (now the Plainfield Correctional Facility) in April 1992,[83] and he was released in March 1995 after serving less than three years of the sentence.[84]

It has been widely reported that while in prison, Tyson converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim name Malik Abdul Aziz[85] (though some sources report the adoption of a different Islamic name, Malik Shabazz).[86] However, Tyson has stated that he converted to Islam before entering prison, but made no efforts to correct the misinformation in the media.[87] Due to his conviction, Tyson is required to register as a Tier II sex offender under federal law.