Sumith Prasad
The fifth episode of Hulu’s sports drama series ‘Mike’ revolves around Mike Tyson’s encounter with Desiree Washington, the reigning Miss Black Rhode Island, while the latter attends the Miss Black America pageant. Upon meeting Desiree during rehearsals, Mike calls her one night and takes her to his hotel room. A day later, Desiree reports that she was raped by Mike.
The allegations lead to the boxer’s trial. Several admirers and supporters of Mike allege Desiree of being a gold-digger, but she stands up for herself courageously. Upon watching the startling episode, the viewers may want to know what really happened to the model. Well, here’s everything we know about the same!
Who is Desiree Washington?
Desiree Washington was born in 1973 in the town of Coventry, Rhode Island. In 1991, at the age of 18, Desiree was a college student and the reigning Miss Black Rhode Island, who was in Indianapolis to attend the Miss Black America pageant. Since Mike Tyson was one of the guests invited to the event, Desiree reportedly met him for the first time during a rehearsal session at the Omni Severin Hotel on July 18, 1991. On July 20, Desiree checked into the emergency room of Methodist Hospital and reported being raped by Mike in the early hours of July 19.
As per reports, Desiree told the authorities that Mike forced himself on her after inviting her to his room in The Canterbury Hotel, Indianapolis. In September 1991, he was indicted on one count of rape, two counts of deviant sexual conduct and one count of confinement. In the trial, the boxer maintained they had consensual sex. After a two-week trial, Mike was found guilty of one count of rape and two other charges on February 10, 1992. A month following his conviction, Judge Patricia J. Gifford sentenced Mike to ten years in prison.
However, the last four years were suspended to make the sentence term six years. He was also directed to serve four years of probation following his release. But he was released in March 1995, after serving three years. In June 1992, Desiree filed a lawsuit against Mike seeking unspecified damages for assault, battery, false imprisonment, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The suit claimed that Mike willfully and maliciously caused Washington to suffer physical pain, emotional distress, terror, and trauma.
Desiree Washington Prefers to Lead a Private Life Today
In 1992, days after Mike’s conviction, Desiree Washington spoke to Barbara Walters on ABC’s ’20/20′ about her experiences as a rape survivor. She mentioned that it would be the only time she will be addressing society concerning the same. Upon being asked how she managed to attend the Miss Black America pageant following the harrowing ordeal, Desiree said, “I was hurting, but I’m no quitter. I had worked for it for six months.”
In the interview, Desiree also hinted at the aforementioned lawsuit in the interview. In 1995, Mike settled the lawsuit against him. The boxer’s lawyer refused to reveal how much money, if any, was involved in the settlement. Since then, Desiree has disappeared from the limelight. “For nearly four years she [Desiree] has attempted to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. This has not been easy to do. The trauma of the rape has had a profound and lasting impact on her life,” Desiree’s attorney Michael Weisman told Los Angeles Times in 1995.
In 1992, Desiree’s parents, Mary and Donald Washington, got separated after 17 years of being married, adding to her hardships. In addition, a former boyfriend of Desiree gave an affidavit accusing her of falsely saying that he had raped her after they had consensual sex when she was 16. Desiree denied the accusation. In 1995, it was reported that Desiree resided in an apartment in a working-class neighborhood in East Providence, Rhode Island, a contrast to their former ranch-style home in a small town south of Providence.
In March 1995, Desiree was a senior psychology major student at Providence College, located in the city of Providence. She was expected to graduate in May of the same year. As of 1995, she was in a serious relationship, but it ended soon after she met her boyfriend’s family. Her current relationship status is unknown. Since Desiree has chosen to keep her personal life understandably private, information concerning her employment is also unknown, except for unsubstantiated reports that claim she had become a teacher.
