By: Alice Robert
The singer and rapper Tory Lanez has been found guilty of assaulting the rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The Canadian artist was convicted on all charges in a Los Angeles courtroom on Dec 23.
By Alice Robert
LA jury convicts Tory Lanez of shooting Megan Thee Stallion
A Los Angeles jury on Friday found rapper and singer Tory Lanez guilty of three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the Hollywood Hills, In a courtroom that quickly turned chaotic after a trial that seethed with tension both cultural and personal, a Los Angeles jury on Friday found rapper Tory Lanez guilty of three felonies in the 2020 shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion, which left her wounded with bullet fragments in her feet and could send him to prison for more than 20 years.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for roughly a day and a half before convicting the 30-year-old Canadian rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Along with aggravating factors that jurors also found true, the counts could lead to up to 22 years in prison and deportation when he’s sentenced on Jan. 25.
Lanez, who was wearing a powder pink winter coat with matching pants, showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read. He was handcuffed while in the courtroom.
After the jury left the courtroom, Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, leapt up and began shouting. “This wicked system stands judged before God almighty!” He shouted, as deputies closed in on him. He then pointed to the two prosecutors in the case and yelled “You two are evil, wicked people. You know exactly what you did.”
Lanez’s lawyer alleged in his closing argument that the shots were actually fired by Megan’s then-best friend Kelsey Harris in a jealous fight over Lanez, who tried to stop the shooting. The attorney, George Mgdesyan, argued Megan created a more sympathetic narrative by pinning the shooting on Lanez.
“Megan Pete is a liar. She lied about everything in this case from the beginning,” Mgdesyan said. “She lied under oath here.”
Harris denied being the shooter and previously identified Lanez as the one holding the gun. Her attorney, in an email, declined to comment on her involvement.
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboard’s charts.
Megan Thee Stallion was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and had No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with her own song “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”