A jury has convicted Tory Lanez of all three charges for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. A crazy and downright scary scene in the courtroom as his father and stepmother screamed about wicks injustice.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 23, 2022
Tory Lanez’s father stood up guest and screamed. “This is a wicked system!” He screamed at the prosecutors that they are evil and they know exactly what they did here. His stepmother stood up screaming and yelling. Father was yelling about “Roc Nation.”
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 23, 2022
Lanez and Megan were reportedly traveling in an Escalade when they began arguing. According to the Houston rapper, the situation became so heated that she decided to exit the vehicle after it came to a stop on a residential street. Lanez, Megan said, opened fire at that point, injuring her in the feet.
"He was holding the gun pointing at me," Megan allegedly told the court, adding that Lanez said "dance b*tch" before firing five shots.
“I froze. I felt shocked. I wasn’t really sure if this was happening … I looked at the ground and saw the blood …everyone was shocked.”
Megan stated during her tearful testimony that Lanez apologized for the shooting and offered to pay for her quiet. "'Please don't say anything, I'll give you $1 million,'" Lanez told her.
Megan stated that she complied and informed investigators that she had wounded her feet by tripping on glass. She told the judge she was terrified no one would believe her and that cops would "fire first" and ask questions afterward.
"At the time, we were at the height of police brutality and the George Floyd situation," Megan explained. “… I don’t wanna see anybody die, I don’t wanna die.”
Lanez's defense team admitted Megan was shot during the trial but claimed it was the rapper's former assistant, Kelsey Harris, who opened fire.
Harris, who was there at the time of the attack, denied shooting Megan but offered contradictory stories of what she saw and didn't witness on the night of the assault. She earlier informed investigators that she saw Lanez shoot Megan, but later recanted her account, claiming she had no clue who fired the shot. She also refuted claims that Lanez bribed her to remain silent.
“The entire defense theory is that the reason Megan lied is that it was more convenient from a PR perspective … Make that make sense,” Kathy Ta, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, said in court on Thursday. “It would have been easier for her to say, ‘My crazy assistant did this to me.’ It is much harder for her to come out against Tory.”
"The defendant had a bruised ego," Ta argued. "(Megan) is insulting him as a rapper and that pissed him off. He had a massive ego and he could not handle being disrespected and how dare she have the audacity to walk away from him, so he reasserted his dominance."#ToryLanezTrial
— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) December 22, 2022
Lanez now faces more than 20 years in prison and deportation. Peterson faces a maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months in prison. He is due to be sentenced on January 27th, 2023.
"The jury got it right. "I am thankful that justice is for Meg," Megan Thee Stallions' attorney Alex Spiro stated in a statement emailed to Complex.
Lanez's attorney, George Mgdesyan, stated that the rapper's legal team is "shocked" and intends to fight the ruling.
According to Page Six, Mgdesyan stated in a statement. “We are shocked by the verdict,” “There was not sufficient evidence to convict Mr. Peterson. We believe this case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. We will be exploring all options including an appeal.”
Following the announcement, Los Angeles District Attorney Gascón issued a statement.
“I want to start by highlighting the bravery of Megan Pete,” Gascón said. “You showed incredible courage and vulnerability with your testimony despite repeated and grotesque attacks that you did not deserve. You faced unjust and despicable scrutiny that no woman should ever face and you have been an inspiration to others across LA County and the nation.”
Gascón continued, “Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed. This trial, for the second time this month, highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women… I’d also like to thank the jurors for their time and thoughtful deliberation, and our trial team for their tireless pursuit of the truth. You spent countless hours away from your families during the holiday season preparing this case and finding justice for Ms. Pete. Your sacrifice is appreciated.”