(Los Angeles) — Jury found Daystar Peterson, the rapper better known as Tory Lanez, guilty of shooting a fellow artist, Megan Thee Stallion, in both of her feet following an argument about their romantic entanglements and careers in 2020.
Tory Lanez Taken Into Custody Following Guilty Verdict
Tory Lanez, a Canadian rapper, was convicted of firing at the Houston hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion after an argument in 2020.
The jury received their instructions on Wednesday (Dec. 21), with closing arguments going into Thursday (Dec. 22). The group of 12 people deliberated for a day before reaching a decision this afternoon (Dec. 23). According to Law & Crime senior reporter Meghan Cuniff, the jury found Tory Lanez guilty all charges.
“A jury has convicted Tory Lanez of all three charges for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion," Cuniff tweeted.
The announcement of the verdict caused a major stir in the courtroom, as Tory's parents reportedly reacted with wild outbursts.
“A crazy and downright scary scene in the courtroom as his father and stepmother screamed about wicked injustice,” Cuniff added.
In addition to verdict, Megan Thee Stallion's lawyer, Alex Spiro, has released the following statement —Tory Lanez being found guilty on all charges in his trial for the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion: “The jury got it right. I am thankful there is justice for Meg”
Tory Lanez -- whose real name is Daystar Peterson -- is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27.
Lanez was taken into custody immediately after the verdict was read. He was in court wearing a light pink suit with a white turtleneck.
Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta told jurors in her closing rebuttal argument that Lanez shot Megan Thee Stallion early the morning of July 12, 2020, after she "disrespected'' his musical career, but defense attorney George Mgdesyan urged the jury to acquit his client, telling jurors that investigators "jumped to conclusions'' and "botched'' their investigation into the shooting.
Lanez's lawyer contended that Megan Thee Stallion's former friend and personal assistant, Kelsey Harris, was "the one who shot her friend.'' He contended that Megan Thee Stallion concocted a fake story about the shooting for publicity reasons, calling her "a liar'' and saying it was a "better story'' to say that Lanez shot her in the feet, rather than her former friend.
Mgdesyan told jurors that it was a "case about jealousy,'' saying the two women had gotten into an argument after finding out that Lanez had slept with both of them and that a neighbor reported witnessing a fistfight between the women after the vehicle stopped on Nichols Canyon Road -- the latter of whose testimony jurors heard again read back by the court reporter in the jury room during their deliberations.
Lanez's attorney questioned why Harris would have had gunshot residue on her, as a test determined that she did, if she wasn't the person who fired the shots, and he said police failed to test her DNA to check if it could be found on the weapon.
In her rebuttal argument, the prosecutor told jurors it would have been easier for Megan Thee Stallion to accuse Harris of the shooting and that it has "cost her a lot'' to accuse Lanez.
"The defendant had a bruised ego because Megan was more successful than him,'' Ta said. She's just disrespecting his rapping ... He had a massive ego and could not handle being disrespected ... The defendant shot Megan.''
The prosecutor noted that Harris sent a text message within minutes of the shooting in which she wrote, "Help,'' "Tory shot meg'' and "911,'' and that Lanez was "the only one apologizing'' after the shooting.
Lanez declined Wednesday to testify in his own defense. He faces up to 22 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27.