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Down for the Count: The Shocking Truth Behind the Mike Tyson Rape Trial
An analysis of the Mike Tyson rape trial examines both sides of the case, tactics employed by the prosecution and defense, the alleged victim, and other issues to determine if the boxer received a fair trial. Book available.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1993
30 people want to read
About the author
Mark Shaw
34 books108 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
A former criminal defense attorney and legal analyst for USA Today, CNN and ESPN, Mark Shaw is the author of 25 books and counting. His most recent is "The Reporter Who Knew Too Much: The Mysterious Death of What's My Line TV Star and Media Icon Dorothy Kilgallen." Additional books include "The Poison Patriarch," Miscarriage of Justice," "Stations Along the Way," "Down for the Count," "Beneath the Mask of Holiness," "Larry Legend," "Bury Me In Pot Bunker," and "How to Become a Published Author: Idea to Publication."
Mr. Shaw has written for USA Today, Huffington Post, and the Aspen Daily News. He formally was a host or correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's People, The World of People, Disney's The Scheme of Things and also hosted a three hour radio program in the Midwest. He is married to librarian Wen-ying Lu and lives in the San Francisco area.
More about Mr. Shaw may be learned at markshawbooks.com and on Wikipedia.
A former criminal defense attorney and legal analyst for USA Today, CNN and ESPN, Mark Shaw is the author of 25 books and counting. His most recent is "The Reporter Who Knew Too Much: The Mysterious Death of What's My Line TV Star and Media Icon Dorothy Kilgallen." Additional books include "The Poison Patriarch," Miscarriage of Justice," "Stations Along the Way," "Down for the Count," "Beneath the Mask of Holiness," "Larry Legend," "Bury Me In Pot Bunker," and "How to Become a Published Author: Idea to Publication."
Mr. Shaw has written for USA Today, Huffington Post, and the Aspen Daily News. He formally was a host or correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's People, The World of People, Disney's The Scheme of Things and also hosted a three hour radio program in the Midwest. He is married to librarian Wen-ying Lu and lives in the San Francisco area.
More about Mr. Shaw may be learned at markshawbooks.com and on Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 12, 2025
This is Monday morning quarterbacking from the 1992 criminal trial in which Mike Tyson was found guilty of rape. The book is heavy on the evidence, testimony, and procedure of this famous criminal trial. The author points out deficiencies in both the prosecution and the defense, but concentrates on tactical errors and omissions that the author believes the defense made in defending the case. As a prosecutor who has been in the criminal law arena for close to 30 years, I found the book to be extremely intriguing and interesting. Although all the details in this book may lose some readers, I really enjoyed it.
June 25, 2024
A SYMPATHETIC (TO TYSON) ACCOUNT OF THE RAPE TRIAL
Journalist Mark Shaw wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, “In January of 1992, famous boxer Mike Tyson was tried for the ‘date rape’ of 18-year-old beauty contestant and college student Desiree Washington… [Tyson] was sentenced to six years in prison for the rape of Desiree Washington… Was the deck stacked against him when pro-prosecution Judge Patricia Gifford was selected to preside over the case?... Did the conservative, midwestern jury convict Tyson based more on guesswork than the actual evidence in the case?.. In fact, did the entire criminal justice system fall short in providing Mike Tyson with a fair trial, and chance to clear his name on appeal? These questions and more loom large as one begins to try to understand the fateful circumstances that led to the shocking rape conviction and imprisonment of the 25-year-old Tyson… In the end, there is much to learn from Tyson’s trial and conviction. When placed in perspective with the mood of the country toward blacks and celebrities in general… it is not at all surprising that only Mike Tyson went ‘Down for the Count.’”
He notes, “The Channel 8 tape also might have had an enormous impact on the trial had it been seen by the jury. Most viewers who saw the tape (Tyson says during a news conference, ‘I should have killed the b___,’ to no one in particular), when it was shown on a highly newscast were shocked by Tyson’s strong words, but the judge continued her strong pattern of disallowing any evidence that wasn’t extremely relevant by granting a defense motion to exclude the tape.” (Pg. 28)
Prior to the trial, attorney Robert Hammerle did a practice cross-examination of Washington, “by summarizing for her all of the improbables he saw in the case. ‘I began by saying to her… “Look, you met Mike Tyson, and you saw him making passes at girls…and then you gave him a picture of you in a bathing suit, and you still didn’t think he had sex on his mind?: She said “No.” Then I said, “He called you in the middle of the night, and you went down to the limousine, and when you got in he kissed you, and it still never crossed your mind that he had sex on his mind?’ She told him no… ‘Then you went … to his room, and you sat on the bed, and it never crossed your mind that he wanted to have sex with you?’ She said ‘No.’… I kept asking her and she kept saying, ‘No’… and it didn’t make sense… but that was her story.” (Pg. 60)
He recounts that after the beauty contest, “After doing a promotional tape with three of the contestants, one of whom was Desiree Washington… Tyson said he told Washington, ‘I just want to be with you; I want you.’ Tyson then said perhaps the most important 11 and most pivotal words in the trial. ‘I explained to her that I just wanted to f__ her.’ … when Tyson himself spoke the words, he may very well have driven the nails into his own coffin… it was as it a bolt of lightning struck the jurors’ faces.” (Pg. 134-135)
At the trial concluded, “The final piece of evidence for the State came in the form of an audiotape of Mike Tyson’s testimony before the grand jury. During cross-examination at trial, Tyson had tried to explain the discrepancy between what he testified to at the grand jury (‘I want you’)… and what he testified to at trial (‘I want to f__ you’…)… the State did shown that Tyson’s explanation that he was cut off by Grand Jury Deputy Prosecutor David Dreyer, as he had said he was during direct examination, was simply not the case.” (Pg. 160)
As the trial would up, “Tyson… maintained his bravado until the end, telling Judge Gifford, ‘I don’t come here to beg you for mercy, ma’am. I expect the worst. I’ve been crucified… I’m prepared to deal with whatever you give me.’ … Tyson was rambling, from one thought to the next. His train of thought never seemed to get on track… Never was there any sense of sorrow or remorse. Tyson’s friends, though, were quick to point out that there could be no sorrow or remorse if there was no crime. And in Tyson’s mind, there hadn’t been one.” (Pg. 199)
He concludes, “In the final analysis, the set of unfortunate circumstances that came together to topple the ex-champ may turn out to be the saving grace for Iron Mike. Seemingly hell-bent for self-destruction, Tyson now has the opportunity to turn his life around and become a powerful influence on not only the black community, but on the millions of young kids who believe Mike Tyson is still the champion of the world.” (Pg. 258)
This book will be of great interest to those wanting to know more about Mike Tyson, and this incident in particular.”
Journalist Mark Shaw wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, “In January of 1992, famous boxer Mike Tyson was tried for the ‘date rape’ of 18-year-old beauty contestant and college student Desiree Washington… [Tyson] was sentenced to six years in prison for the rape of Desiree Washington… Was the deck stacked against him when pro-prosecution Judge Patricia Gifford was selected to preside over the case?... Did the conservative, midwestern jury convict Tyson based more on guesswork than the actual evidence in the case?.. In fact, did the entire criminal justice system fall short in providing Mike Tyson with a fair trial, and chance to clear his name on appeal? These questions and more loom large as one begins to try to understand the fateful circumstances that led to the shocking rape conviction and imprisonment of the 25-year-old Tyson… In the end, there is much to learn from Tyson’s trial and conviction. When placed in perspective with the mood of the country toward blacks and celebrities in general… it is not at all surprising that only Mike Tyson went ‘Down for the Count.’”
He notes, “The Channel 8 tape also might have had an enormous impact on the trial had it been seen by the jury. Most viewers who saw the tape (Tyson says during a news conference, ‘I should have killed the b___,’ to no one in particular), when it was shown on a highly newscast were shocked by Tyson’s strong words, but the judge continued her strong pattern of disallowing any evidence that wasn’t extremely relevant by granting a defense motion to exclude the tape.” (Pg. 28)
Prior to the trial, attorney Robert Hammerle did a practice cross-examination of Washington, “by summarizing for her all of the improbables he saw in the case. ‘I began by saying to her… “Look, you met Mike Tyson, and you saw him making passes at girls…and then you gave him a picture of you in a bathing suit, and you still didn’t think he had sex on his mind?: She said “No.” Then I said, “He called you in the middle of the night, and you went down to the limousine, and when you got in he kissed you, and it still never crossed your mind that he had sex on his mind?’ She told him no… ‘Then you went … to his room, and you sat on the bed, and it never crossed your mind that he wanted to have sex with you?’ She said ‘No.’… I kept asking her and she kept saying, ‘No’… and it didn’t make sense… but that was her story.” (Pg. 60)
He recounts that after the beauty contest, “After doing a promotional tape with three of the contestants, one of whom was Desiree Washington… Tyson said he told Washington, ‘I just want to be with you; I want you.’ Tyson then said perhaps the most important 11 and most pivotal words in the trial. ‘I explained to her that I just wanted to f__ her.’ … when Tyson himself spoke the words, he may very well have driven the nails into his own coffin… it was as it a bolt of lightning struck the jurors’ faces.” (Pg. 134-135)
At the trial concluded, “The final piece of evidence for the State came in the form of an audiotape of Mike Tyson’s testimony before the grand jury. During cross-examination at trial, Tyson had tried to explain the discrepancy between what he testified to at the grand jury (‘I want you’)… and what he testified to at trial (‘I want to f__ you’…)… the State did shown that Tyson’s explanation that he was cut off by Grand Jury Deputy Prosecutor David Dreyer, as he had said he was during direct examination, was simply not the case.” (Pg. 160)
As the trial would up, “Tyson… maintained his bravado until the end, telling Judge Gifford, ‘I don’t come here to beg you for mercy, ma’am. I expect the worst. I’ve been crucified… I’m prepared to deal with whatever you give me.’ … Tyson was rambling, from one thought to the next. His train of thought never seemed to get on track… Never was there any sense of sorrow or remorse. Tyson’s friends, though, were quick to point out that there could be no sorrow or remorse if there was no crime. And in Tyson’s mind, there hadn’t been one.” (Pg. 199)
He concludes, “In the final analysis, the set of unfortunate circumstances that came together to topple the ex-champ may turn out to be the saving grace for Iron Mike. Seemingly hell-bent for self-destruction, Tyson now has the opportunity to turn his life around and become a powerful influence on not only the black community, but on the millions of young kids who believe Mike Tyson is still the champion of the world.” (Pg. 258)
This book will be of great interest to those wanting to know more about Mike Tyson, and this incident in particular.”
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