Denzel Washington was arrested this past January for strangling his mother Aretha Franklin inside her apartment building in Manhattan and has now accepted a plea deal.
According to reports, Franklin refused to provide her 20-year-old son money for a date, but Washington would take money from his mother’s coat pocket anyway. When Franklin confronted her son about stealing her money, he responded with anger and violence; wrapping his hands around her neck. This past Wednesday, Washington accepted a plea bargain from the courts.
Who Is Denzel Washington?
He’s not the acclaimed Hollywood actor you were thinking about when you clicked on this article. This isn’t the Denzel Washington who has graced the silver screen for decades. This Denzel Washington is a young man living in the city of New York. He is only 20, and he is already getting into trouble with the law and has not been too kind or respectful to his 52-year-old mother Aretha Franklin, who he attacked in January after letting anger get the best of him.
What happened?
This past January, Aretha Franklin called the police about a domestic disturbance with her 20-year-old son. This incident occurred in her apartment on West 93rd street in Manhattan. Aretha told police that her son needed money for a date, but when she refused, things took a turn for the worse. He took the money anyway, and when she discovered that her cash was missing, she confronted her son and he responded with violence.
According to the New York Post, “I am informed by Aretha Franklin,” the complaint says, “that she observed the defendant place his hands around her neck and apply pressure, thereby causing redness, bruising and substantial pain to her neck.”
But according to TMZ, even after his initial arrest, Washington would defy orders to stay away from his mother: “We’re told he showed up at his mom’s place a couple weeks ago to yell at her and cops busted him again.”
This past Wednesday, Washington took a plea bargain from the courts; turning his crime into a harassment charge, where he would be conditionally discharged, but will be required to undergo anger management therapy. Meanwhile, his trespassing charge remains open.
On the other side of the coin, the famous film star Denzel Washington and the celebrated soul singer Aretha Franklin still remain great friends; he even helped her celebrate her 72nd birthday in 2014. Hopefully, their strong celebrity friendship can set a positive example to help work out the mother and son struggle with another Aretha Franklin and Denzel Washington.
