A man named Denzel Washington strangled a woman named Aretha Franklin. Yes, for real. No, not that Aretha and Denzel. This Aretha and Denzel are a mother-son pair from Manhattan, New York.
The alleged strangling occurred in January, when Aretha reportedly refused to give 20-year-old Denzel money for a date. According to TMZ, Aretha later confronted Denzel about his R-E-S-P-E-C-T problem and accused him of taking money from her coat.
In a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan, Aretha claims that Denzel “place[d] his hands around her neck and apply pressure, thereby causing redness, bruising and substantial pain to her neck.”
Denzel was arrested and told to stay away from his mother, but it seems he didn’t learn his lesson, as he has allegedly trespassed at his mother’s apartment building in recent weeks. On Wednesday, Denzel took a plea deal for harassment as violation, a charge that carried with it no jail time.
The New York Post reports that he has to take anger management classes as part of his plea deal. You better think, Denzel—especially for Aretha’s sake.
