A Los Angeles judge has denied a motion for a new trial for rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her. The judge rejected the arguments from Lanez’s lawyers that evidence was wrongly admitted at the trial. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted of three felonies in December and faces up to 22 years in prison and deportation to his native Canada.
Lanez’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial immediately after the verdict was announced. The judge’s denial of the motion is a common precursor to appealing to a higher court, which Lanez’s attorneys plan to do. However, such motions are very rarely successful.
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Lanez’s lawyers had argued that a post from his Instagram account was improperly admitted into evidence. They also contended that Megan’s testimony that Lanez urged her not to go to the police was both untrue and an improper allowance of prior bad acts. In addition, they claimed that DNA evidence used by prosecutors to argue that Lanez was the likely shooter fell well short of industry standards.
The courtroom was full of media, Lanez’s fans, and family members, with many more outside in the hallway. The shooting and the trial set off a storm of cultural issues and arguments, including the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, the protection of Black women, gender politics in hip-hop, and online toxicity.
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Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified that Lanez fired a handgun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding in the Hollywood Hills in the summer of 2020. Lanez’s attorney said at trial that Megan was lying in her testimony, and Lanez had not pulled the trigger. He said afterward that there was not sufficient evidence to convict.
The shooting occurred in July 2020 when Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion were in an SUV together in the Hollywood Hills. According to Megan, Lanez shot her in the feet after an argument, and she had to undergo surgery to remove the bullets.
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 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 she 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.”
In the hearing on Monday, Lanez pleaded with the judge, saying, “I could be your son. I could be your brother.” However, the judge rejected the plea and stated that the exclusion of the disputed evidence would not have made a difference in the trial.
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The shooting and its aftermath have been the subject of much discussion and debate in the hip-hop community and beyond. The case has highlighted issues related to gun violence, domestic abuse, and the treatment of women of color in the justice system.
In conclusion, a Los Angeles judge has denied a motion for a new trial for rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez’s lawyers had argued that evidence was wrongly admitted at the trial. However, the judge rejected the arguments, and Lanez will now be sentenced for his convictions. The shooting and the trial set off a storm of cultural issues and arguments that continue to resonate in the hip-hop community and beyond.
