Tory Lanez is expected to be sentenced for shooting Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the feet, a crime he was found guilty of last year.
Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, faces a maximum sentence of more than 22 years in prison and deportation to Canada after being found guilty in a California courtroom of all charges – discharging a firearm with gross negligence, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.
He was sentenced the day before Christmas Eve, 2022, or December 23, and has hired new lawyers to appeal.
The judge who will sentence him will also hear Tory Lanez’s request for a motion to appeal from his attorneys on Monday.
His previous attorney, Shawn Holley, will be replaced by a new attorney, Matthew Barhoma.
In his more recent defense, Barhoma raises concerns about forensic testing, the late inclusion of Instagram posts, and prejudicial photos of Canadian rapper’s gun tattoo, NBC News reported.
Holley withdrew from Tory Lanez’s legal team after it was discovered that Tory Lanez allegedly tried to bribe a key witness, Kelsey Harris.
In a response to the appeal on April 6, prosecutors said the rapper’s motion lacked substance and the guilty verdict should stand. The office also included a memo from Holley to the court dated Jan. 10, saying “The evidence presented at trial was properly admitted, and the defendant’s claims of errors and violations of his constitutional rights are without merit.”
“The verdict reached by the jury was based on credible evidence and was supported by the law,” she continued.
The allegation is at the center of Tory Lanez’s motion as his team claims the prosecution interfered with Tory Lanez’s right to counsel with a line of questioning to Harris.
The story about the incident between Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion occurred on July 12, 2020, in Los Angeles, while they were leaving a party in the Hollywood Hills.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, and Tory Lanez were riding in an SUV together with Harris and the security guard of Canadian rapper’s when an argument broke out between Megan and Tory Lanez.
Megan later said in an Instagram Live video that the Canadian rapper shot her multiple times in the feet as she tried to get out of the vehicle.
The Canadian rapper was arrested the morning of the incident and charged with carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle. However, he was not initially charged with any other crimes related to the shooting. Megan, on the other hand, was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries.
In August 2020, Megan publicly identified Tory Lanez as the person who shot her in an Instagram Live video. She also called out those who had made jokes about the incident, saying, “It’s not funny.”
Tory Lanez was ultimately charged. Megan has been vocal about the incident, using her platform to raise awareness about the dangers of gun violence and to advocate for women who have experienced domestic violence.
