Desiree Washington, the famous beauty pageant queen, was a popular face in the 1990s. Where is she, and what is she up to now?
Desiree Washington has been forced to keep a very low profile away from the public for many reasons. Here is her story.
Who Is Desiree Washington?
Desiree Washington is an American beauty pageant queen and model born in 1973. Her exact date of birth is unknown, but she was born in Coventry, Rhode Island. Her parents are Mary Belle Silva, a personable specialist, and Donald Washington, a professional bookkeeper in the motel business. She has two siblings: a brother named Don Jr. Washington and a sister named Dorrae Washington.
Desiree attended Coventry High School in her younger years, graduating with honors. She was also a varsity cheerleader and participated in sports as well. The model was also an active member of her school’s softball team and did much volunteering work, including teaching subjects at their Sunday school sessions.
After graduating, she enrolled at Providence College, where she studied psychology. She dreamed of becoming a successful attorney or politician after graduating from college.
Desiree Washington’s Career and Rise to Fame
The model came to fame in 1991 after she won the Miss Black Rhode Island Pageant. At that time, she was only 18 years old. She stood out among the many contestants and won the title prize thanks to her stunning looks and skills.
Desiree also participated in the Miss Black America pageant 1991 and won the title prize. This made her a household name in the modeling industry and further cemented her place as a top model.
After her modeling career ended abruptly due to her rape case with famous boxer Mike Tyson, her career afterward is entirely unknown. Many speculated that she might have continued teaching on a lowkey level since she had a deep passion for teaching from high school.
However, this has not been confirmed, as the former model has kept all the details about her present life and career away from the spotlight.
Mike Tyson and Desiree Washington’s Legal Case
Just a few months after Desiree won her back-to-back titles, she was in the news again, and this time, for a traumatic event. The beauty queen accused famous boxer Mike Tyson of raping her on July 19, 1991.
In her story, she explained that Tyson invited her up to his room at the Canterbury Hotel and proceeded to rape her violently. A day later, Desire checked herself into an emergency room at the Methodist Hospital and reported to its staff that she had been raped.
Since she reported the incident over 24 hours after being raped, a physician was called in to examine the physical condition of her genitalia. In the physician’s report, Desiree’s claims were corroborated by the examination results, which stated that the physical condition of her genitalia was consistent with rape.
Tyson’s chauffeur, Virginia Foster, further confirmed the young model’s story after her report. He revealed that Desiree was indeed raped and narrated how she was shocked after the incident occurred.
However, Tyson denied all the charges against him. He claimed to have done everything with Desiree’s full consent even though there was a medical report and a physical witness which proved that he did rape her.
Did Mike Tyson Go to Jail for Raping Desiree Washington?
Thankfully, Tyson was charged and tried in a court of law for raping Desiree, who was only 18 years old. Investigations were carried out satisfactorily, and he was found guilty of raping the model. Tyson was convicted on the rape charge on February 10, 1992, after the jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours.
He was sentenced to six years and served under three for good behavior, earning parole. To date, Tyson still denies raping Desiree in 1991. He asserts that the interaction with the model was consensual and denies using force.
He might deny it forever, but the evidence and testimonies against him prove that he raped Desiree and traumatized her for life at such a young age. Due to his conviction, Tyson is legally required to register as a Tier II sex offender under federal law.
ABC’s documentary titled “Mike Tyson: Knockout,” released in 2021, sheds more light on his rape case and trial in an episode of the series.
Desiree Washington’s Movies
The beauty queen has only ever had one profession, which is modeling. She is not an actress and has never appeared in movies before. However, the story of Desiree’s rape case with Mike Tyson has been featured in many documentaries.
In the boxer’s biography series, she was credited after archive footage of her was featured in the show. Desiree also appears in the 1993 film “Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson” through archival footage.
Some of the other movies and series footage in which Desiree has been shown include:
- Tyson – 2008,
- Biography – 1994, and
- Mike Tyson: The Knockout – 2021 (1 episode).
What Happened to Desiree Washington?
Desiree still grapples with recurrent breakdowns from the traumatic incident two decades ago. She maintains a highly private life, distancing from the media and keeping personal details undisclosed.
