Tory Lanez Loses Appeal for New Trial in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

“Please don’t ruin my life. I could be your son. I could be your brother,” the Canadian rapper reportedly begged the judge before the ruling.

By Audra Heinrichs  |  May 9, 2023 | 9:30pm
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Tory Lanez Loses Appeal for New Trial in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting
Photo:AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes (Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Judge David Herriford ruled that Tory Lanez (née Daystar Peterson) will not be awarded a new trial for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion (née Megan Pete), despite hiring new legal representation to mount a lengthy—ultimately flaccid—appeal.

In March, Peterson updated his roster of attorneys that included Casey Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez. The appeal for a second trial was based on what they claimed with several mistakes made in the court during the first proceedings. Chief among them were that Judge Herriford had erred in allowing jurors to see Peterson’s social media posts and that the prosecution “impermissibly chilled” Peterson’s potential of testifying by seeking to introduce his lyrics and a music video in potential cross-examination.

“Despite being nearly 80 pages long, the defendant has failed to cite a single instance of error in the trial court,” the prosecution said in their defense of Peterson’s appeal.

It’s been little over five months since the Canadian rapper was found guilty of shooting Pete on the night of July 12, 2020. Peterson pleaded not guilty to all three charges, which included one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, discharging a firearm with gross negligence, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. “In the end, the jury believed the prosecution’s case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Herriford told Peterson and his lawyers, according to court reporter Meghann Cuniff.

One day before the ruling, Peterson begged Herriford not to “ruin his life” during a court hearting: “Please don’t ruin my life. I could be your son. I could be your brother.”

Peterson’s sentencing date has yet to be announced. At a mid-April hearing, Herriford indicated that if the request for a new trial was denied, Lanez would be sentenced within 30 days of the hearing held on Monday. He faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison and potential deportation.

This ruling, along with Tuesday’s victory for Evan Rachel Wood in the defamation suit levied against her by Marilyn Manson and the verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation trial against Donald Trump, are heartening—sadly, rare—shows that sometimes, the court of law does offer justice.

 
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