What Was Tory Lanez Charged With? Rapper Tory Lanez was found guilty on all three counts by a jury in Los Angeles for shooting hip-hop icon Megan Thee Stallion on July 12, 2020, in the Hollywood Hills.
“The verdict was accurate. I’m glad Meg is getting justice. “Following the verdict’s announcement on Friday afternoon, Megan Thee Stallion’s attorney Alex Spiro sent a statement to ABC News.
According to Los Angeles station KABC, chaos reportedly broke out in the courtroom when the judgment was delivered, with Lanez’s father yelling at the prosecution and calling them “witches” and “evil.”
As the jury left the courtroom, Lanez’s defense counsel attempted to defuse the situation when Lanez’s father yelled at the prosecution, “You two are horrible, wicked.”
Later on, Tory Lanez was arrested.
George Mgdesyan, Tory Lanez’s defense lawyer, said in a phone interview with ABC News on Friday night that Lanez and his group were “shocked” by the guilty judgment.
He stated, “We’re pretty astonished, dissatisfied, and didn’t expect it. We believed the plaintiffs’ claims couldn’t be shown beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mgdesyan responded to a question about whether they intended to appeal by saying they “will deal with all post-trial motions at the right time,” which would include an appeal.
“We’re going to exert every effort. This conflict has not ended, “added he.
Lanez was “extremely astonished, quite upset, and shocked,” he claimed, adding that he “stands tight to his religion and hopes the truth will come out.”
According to KABC, the sentencing will occur on January 27 at 8:30 a.m. local time.
Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, was praised for her “bravery” by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in a statement, citing some of the case’s media coverage.
“Despite repeated and cruel attacks that you did not deserve, you showed amazing courage and vulnerability with your testimony,” he wrote. “You endured unreasonable and abhorrent scrutiny that no woman should ever have to endure, and you have served as an example to others all around Los Angeles County and the country.”
Megan’s account of the incident and the harsh public criticism she received after sharing her story has brought attention to the Protect Black Women movement, which fights the dual battle of racism and sexism Black women experience in their communities and society. This case has sparked intense debates about society’s treatment of women.
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In an opinion piece for The New York Times published on October 13, 2020, Megan stated, “Even as a victim, I have been received with mistrust and judgment.” There’s not much room for passionate advocacy if you’re a Black woman.
In his remarks on Friday, Gascón stated that “women, especially Black women, are hesitant to report crimes like assault and sexual abuse because they are too frequently not believed.”
“It’s absurd that some individuals consider the straightforward command to “Protect Black Women” contentious. As humans, we deserve to be protected, “Pete published in an op-ed in 2020.
Nine women and five men, including four Black jurors, made up the jury, including alternates. Before convicting Lanez, they deliberated for seven hours over two days.
Jurors heard testimony from numerous witnesses, including Pete herself, throughout the two-week trial. Kelsey Harris, a former acquaintance of Pete’s who was one of the four witnesses to the shooting, also gave testimony.
In a recorded interview with prosecutors in September, Harris first supported evidence pointing to Lanez as the alleged shooter, but she revised her account while testifying last week.
A text message Harris sent to Pete’s former bodyguard Justin Edison shortly after the event, in which she wrote, “Help Tory shot Meg 911,” was a crucial piece of evidence submitted to the jury.
“I’m not sure why I told Justin that. I didn’t witness anything occur, “Harris gave testimony, according to KABC in Los Angeles.
Edison, who was called to testify in this case, vanished the day before he was supposed to, according to his father, who told “GMA,” but as the jury deliberated, his family announced that he had been found.
Police who reacted to the shooting, forensic scientists who studied DNA evidence on the pistol, a medical professional who attended to Megan’s foot wounds, and a neighbor who saw the shooting from his home were among the other witnesses.
According to a reporter from Los Angeles ABC station KABC who was in the courtroom, Pete testified last week that on the evening of July 12, 2020, she got out of a car during an argument with Lanez. As she walked away, she turned her head and saw him holding a revolver.
According to KABC, she stated that he had his gun pointed at her and had yelled, “Dance b——,” before firing it, wounding both of her feet.
She remarked, “I froze. I was stunned.” “I wasn’t certain that this was taking place. Everyone was astonished when I looked at the ground and saw the blood.”
According to charging documents obtained by ABC News, Tory Lanez, a well-known rapper whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was initially charged in October 2020 with one felony count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm (personal use of a gun) and carrying a loaded, unregistered handgun in a vehicle. It is not a new offense but rather a sentencing enhancement connected to the first allegation that could lengthen Lanez’s potential term.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office verified to ABC News that he was charged earlier this month with an additional felony offense of discharging a handgun with gross negligence.
Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty to all three charges and declined to testify during the trial. During the trial, his defense counsel maintained that their client was not the shooter.