Tory Lanez has been found guilty on all charges in the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, reports the New York Times.
Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted of three felony counts: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Megan was not present during the reading of the verdict.
Alex Spiro, Megan Thee Stallion’s attorney said in a statement: “The jury got it right. I am thankful there is justice for Meg.”
Jurors reached the verdict after seven hours of deliberating in the trial that lasted two weeks.
Lanez showed no emotion when the verdict was read in court but his father stood up and yelled at the judge and prosecutors. “God will judge you,” he said, as bailiffs attempted to calm him down.
breaking: Tory Lanez found GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES in 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion
he faces more than 20 years in prison
first take NY Times story https://t.co/Q8JEUSSAbB
— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) December 23, 2022
During the trial, prosecutors said the shooting took place in July 2020, after he, Megan, and the rest of their entourage left a house party held at Kylie Jenner’s home in Hollywood.
According to reports, the group was traveling in a Cadillac Escalade when Lanez and Megan got into a head argument. Megan claimed the situation became so heated that she decided to exit the vehicle when it came to a stop on a residential street. While on the street, Megan testified that Lanez began shooting and wounded her in the feet. She also said that Lanez told her to “dance” and called sexist slur while shooting his gun numerous times from the passenger seat of the SUV.
“He was holding the gun pointing at me,” Megan reportedly told the court, adding Lanez had shouted “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.”
During her emotional testimony, Megan claimed Lanez had apologized for the shooting and offered to pay her and Kelsey Harris, her former assistant, not to go to the authorities.
“‘Please don’t say anything, I’ll give you $1 million,’” she recalled Lanez telling her.
Megan said she told law enforcement that injured her feet by stepping on glass because she was afraid that no one would believe her, and that police would “shoot first” and ask questions later.
“At this time, we were at the height of police brutality and the situation with George Floyd,” she said. “… I don’t wanna see anybody die, I don’t wanna die.”
During the trial, Lanez’s attorneys argued that Harris fired the gun. She vehemently denied shooting Megan but gave conflicting testimonies about what she witnessed on the night of the incident. Previously, she told authorities that Lanez shoot Megan, but later claimed she didn’t know who pulled the trigger. She also denied that she was paid off by Lanez to change her testimony.
Through DNA testing, experts noted that gunshot residue was found on both Lanez and Harris, who nearby but evidence tying xLanez to the weapon was inconclusive.
Kathy Ta, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, said it took bravery for Megan to come forward under such unusual circumstances.
“The entire defense theory is that the reason Megan lied is because it was more convenient from a PR perspective … Make that make sense,” Ta said. “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.”
In a statement, LA County DA George Gascón also lauded Megan for her courage.
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,” Gascón added, referring to Harvey Weinstein being found guilty of three out of seven charges on Monday.
Lanez now faces 20 years in prison and deportation.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27.
