Tory Lanez denied new trial in Megan Thee Stallion shooting
On Tuesday (9 May), a Los Angeles judge denied Tory Lanez’s motion for a new trial after the rapper was found guilty of shooting Megan in the foot after a 2020 party in the Hollywood Hills.
Yesterday, the Toronto artist begged Judge David Herriford not to “ruin [his] life” by denying the motion, adding: “I could be your son, your brother.”
Lanez was originally scheduled to be sentenced on 28 February, however, it was pushed back so that Lanez’s attorneys could file for a new trial.
“In the end, the jury believed the prosecution’s case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Herriford said Tuesday, per legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff.
Lanez’s lawyers then filed a radical motion to disqualify Judge Herriford from the case, telling him they didn’t think he could issue his ruling until the motion was resolved. Herriford disagreed.
Lanez faces more than 20 years in prison after a Los Angeles jury convicted him of assault and weapons charges in December 2022.
A sentencing date has not yet been given, however, Herriford reportedly indicated that it could happen within 30 days of his ruling.
Megan – real name Megan Pete – told the Los Angeles court that Lanez had shot a handgun towards the back of her feet and told her to “dance b****” after she got out of his SUV and walked away from it. The pair had allegedly been arguing about their music careers.
She required surgery to remove bullet fragments from her feet and said that Lanez offered her $1m (£830,000) to stay quiet about the incident as he was on probation.
Lanez’s lawyer claimed that the shots had actually been fired by Megan’s former best friend Kelsey Harris and claimed he had tried to stop the shooting.
Harris said that she did not fire the gun and that Lanez was the shooter.
In a statement released after the verdict, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón praised Megan’s “bravery,” and said that she “showed incredible courage and vulnerability” despite “repeated and grotesque attacks”.
“Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed,” Gascón said.
