megan Thee Stallion Trial

Tory Lanez Convicted Of All Three Charges In Shooting Of Megan Thee Stallion

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According to a recent tweet from Los Angeles County D.A. George Gascón, Daystar Peterson a.k.a. Tory Lanez, has been found guilty on all three counts in the 2020 shooting of Megan Pete aka rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion.

A jury decided that Lanez did indeed shoot Pete in the foot after the two and a friend left a party at Kylie Jenner’s home in 2020. Lanez was originally charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Earlier in the month, prosecutors added a third charge, discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Lanez faces up to 22 years in prison with these pending convictions.

Police stopped an SUV in July 2020 with Pete, Peterson and two of their friends. Megan originally told the police that she cut her foot on glass when they asked her why she was bleeding. She was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where doctors found bullet fragments in her foot, which required surgery to remove.

In her testimony, Megan Thee Stallion said Lanez offered her $1 million to keep quiet about the shooting.

In an pre-trial interview with Gayle King, Megan Thee Stallion explained that she lied to police because she was scared of getting into a more dangerous situation.

“You think I’m about to tell the police that we … us Black people got a gun in the car?” she asked. “You want me to tell the law that we got a gun in the car so they can shoot all of us up?”

Jurors heard a interview with Megan’s ex-gf, Kelsey Harris,

Harris said in the taped interview that she heard the two argue about their careers before the shooting began. Harris said that Lanez had ordered the women to exit the SUV and Megan Thee Stallion was walking away when the first shots were fired.

“He’s shooting over the top of the door,” Harris told prosecutors. “He’s leaning over the front passenger door, and he was shooting the gun.”

Fans have called out the slut-shaming or victim-blaming being used to distract from the violence Megan Thee Stallion had to endure. On the day the Grammy Award winner took the stand, thousands online used the hashtag #WeStandWithMegan to support her during trial.

Other celebrities have also supported The Stallion’s case, including Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” collaborator Cardi B., calling Megan a “superstar” in an Instagram Live.

“Why would somebody lie about getting shot?” Cardi said. “Why?”

The post Tory Lanez Convicted Of All Three Charges In Shooting Of Megan Thee Stallion appeared first on The Source.

Tory Lanez Trial: Legal Analyst Says Jury Must Weigh Confusing and Conflicting Evidence

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As the saga of the Tory Lanez trial in connection to the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion continues, Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Mathew Barhoma says eyewitness Sean Kelly’s testimony hurt the prosecution’s case and contradicted Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony. 

Barhoma zeroed in on the testimony of Sean Kelly, an eyewitness who implicated both Megan and Tory as possible shooters, said that the prosecution could be withholding evidence by not including Kelly in their case. He said, “The fact that the prosecution did not include Sean Kelly, a direct eye witness, in their case is suspect. It may leave the jury wondering why the defense has to introduce it and what the prosecution may be hiding. The prosecution is left with having to convince jurors that Sean Kelly is a liar. Otherwise, their case is on life support.” Barhoma added, “The eyewitness likely left the jury more confused with further contradictions. However, he affirms a portion of Tory’s narrative, which is that Megan and Harris indeed engaged in a violent altercation outside. That is inconsistent with Megan’s testimony. Moreover, Sean implicated both Harris and Tory as potential shooters.”

The L.A. appellate attorney also said that without conclusive DNA evidence pointing to Tory as the possessor of the weapon, the prosecution’s case is weakening. Barhoma stated, “The lack of conclusive DNA evidence on the gun implicating Tory is another blow to the prosecution’s case. If the allegations are that he took four to five shots using that gun, one would assume there would be definitive and clear DNA evidence implicating Tory as the shooter. Tory’s defense team should be able to make a lot of hay out of that during closing arguments. This evidence may help Tory affirm his narrative that Kelsey was possibly the shooter.”

He spoke about Megan Thee Stallion and the Houston native’s credibility on the stand and said that the prosecution should have led the trial with Megan’s testimony. “Megan was credible on the witness stand and the prosecution should have led the trial with her testimony. It would have likely laid a better foundation for the remainder of this trial.”

The Tory Lanez/Megan Thee Stallion trial is still ongoing, with Lanez facing over 20 years in prison if convicted.

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Tory Lanez Released From House Arrest Before the Start of Megan Thee Stallion Trial

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Back in November, Tory Lanez was ordered to be placed on house arrest by a Los Angeles court before he goes to trial for allegedly shooting rapstress Megan Thee Stallion. Still, according to a recent report from Rolling Stone, Lanez had his ankle monitor removed pending the trial.

Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was reportedly released from house arrest as jury selection in the Megan trial is set to begin. Opening statements in the trial are slated to start on Dec. 12.

Judge David Herriford spoke on the prosecution’s objection to releasing Lanex, saying, “I’m doing this mainly for the trial preparation aspect.”

The post Tory Lanez Released From House Arrest Before the Start of Megan Thee Stallion Trial appeared first on The Source.