Rapper Tory Lanez has lost his bid to overturn his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, after a California appellate court upheld his guilty verdict and 10-year prison sentence.
In a ruling issued Wednesday, a three-judge panel from the California 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed Lanez’s 2022 conviction on three felony counts: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The judges rejected arguments from Lanez’s defense that the trial had been mishandled, finding no errors by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford, who presided over the case, AP reported.
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Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was convicted for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, legally known as Megan Pete, in the feet after a heated argument in July 2020. Megan testified that as she walked away from an SUV following a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home, Lanez pointed a gun at her and yelled for her to dance. She later underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments from both feet and publicly identified Lanez as the shooter.
“Daystar Peterson is innocent,” his attorney Crystal Morgan told the judges during oral arguments in August, but the panel disagreed, ruling that the jury had been properly instructed and the evidence fairly presented.
Justice Anne H. Egerton, writing for the panel, upheld the trial court’s decision to let Megan testify about her fear of speaking out. “When a woman makes allegations against a man, people have a hard time believing you,” Megan had told the court. Egerton said those statements were appropriately used to assess her credibility.
The court also approved the use of a recorded police interview with Kelsie Harris, a friend of both Megan and Lanez who was present during the shooting but was “a reluctant witness” at trial, often responding that she “didn’t remember” or “didn’t know.”
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The judges further dismissed claims that allowing jurors to see an Instagram comment from Lanez’s account, denying that Harris was the shooter, had prejudiced the trial, calling it “a minor issue.” They also rejected arguments that showing jurors a photo of Lanez shirtless and tattooed evoked racial bias.
Lanez, a Canadian artist who gained fame from mixtapes starting in 2009, is currently serving his sentence at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo after being transferred from another facility where he was stabbed by an inmate.
Megan Thee Stallion, who has since become one of hip-hop’s biggest stars, won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2021 and has topped charts with hits like “Savage” featuring Beyoncé and “WAP” with Cardi B.
Attorneys for Lanez have the option to petition the California Supreme Court for further review.
