Tory Lanez has been sentenced to ten years in prison for shooting fellow Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
Lanez, whose real name Daystar Peterson stood before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford. Prosecutors sought a 13-year sentence for Lanez, stating that he lacked remorse and failed to accept any accountability for his actions.
In a statement shared with New York Times, prosecutors stated Lanez was “a campaign to humiliate and retraumatize the victim.”
“The defendant actively invited harassment of the victim by spreading misinformation to his large following in an effort to galvanize the public against the victim and even the prosecution team without any regard to the dangers it posed,” prosecutors expressed in the sentencing memorandum. “The defendant has weaponized misinformation to his large following to such a degree that it has left a lasting traumatic impact on the victim.”
After receiving his sentence, Lanez spoke for several minutes before the court. He stated that he still cared about Megan and that she was “someone I still care for dearly to this day.” Lanez acknowledged Megan as a victim, saying she was his “friend.”
He then went on to mention they bonded over the loss of their mothers. “We both lost our mothers. We would sit there and drink, and drink until we got numb.”
Lanez also admitted that he “said some very immature things” that he shouldn’t have and “revealed some secrets” that he shouldn’t have.
As Blavity previously reported, Lanez was found guilty of all three felony charges on December 23, 2022. Charges included assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez faced a maximum of 22 years and eight months in prison and potential deportation to Canada.
The 31-year-old rapper’s lawyers filed a motion for a new trial. They argued that social media posts and tattoos were used to cause disfavor to their client. The judge denied their motion for a new trial in May.
During the new trial hearing, Lanez pleaded with the judge to show leniency during the judgment. “Please don’t ruin my life. I could be your son. I could be your brother,” he pleaded.
Lanez has been held in a Los Angeles County Jail since his conviction.
During the deliberation of his sentencing, journalist Meghann Cuniff reported 70 letters of support for the rapper had been presented to the judge for him to review.
Reportedly, one of those letters came from fellow rapper Iggy Azalea.
She had collaborated with Lanez late last year. The collaboration sparked dating rumors between the two artists.
In her letter, she allegedly asked the judge for a sentence that would be “transformational, not life destroying.”
That jailer didn't talk in court, but the chaplain did. (I should be able to get the letters, but maybe not today.)
Judge Herriford said Iggy Azalae's letter asks him to impose a sentence "that is transformational, not life destroying."
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) August 7, 2023
Azalea would later tweet several points of clarification as to why she sent the letter of support.
For the record:
1. I have not been in touch with tory for months, I have no reason to be, but I do wish him well.
2. I don’t “support” anyone.
the whole thing is full of oddities. My letter never mentioned anything in regard to what happened that night.3. I was told this…
— NOT IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) August 8, 2023
It was also reported that Lanez’s father, 6-year-old son, and fellow inmates wrote letters supporting the Toronto-born rapper.
Meg did not attend the hearing, but prosecutors read a written statement from the rapper, saying, “I’ve not experienced a single day of piece (peace)” since the shooting.
She also included a message for the judge regarding her wishes for Lanez’s sentencing.
“Mercy is for people who show remorse, and Lanez has shown none,” her letter continued.
She ended her statement with, “For once, the defendant must be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice.”
Megan said she struggled with whether to attend in person, and her absence should be seen as her preserving her mental well being. She said since Tory shot her, "I've not experienced a single day of piece."
"He lied to anyone that would listen," Megan said of Lanez.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) August 7, 2023
The trial took viewers and fans through numerous twists and turns as it played out in the courtroom and on social media.
Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, said an argument broke out in the car in July 2020 after she left a gathering at Kylie Jenner‘s home with Lanez and her friend Kelsey Harris. The 27-year-old said she was walking away from the SUV when Lanez fired shots at her feet and told her “dance b***h.”
“I started walking away, and I hear Tory yell, ‘Dance, b***h!'” Megan said, according to Newsweek. She added that she saw Lanez pointing a gun at her.
“I froze. I just felt shock. I felt hurt. I looked down at my feet, and I see all of this blood,” Megan said.
It was later revealed that the argument stemmed from the rappers having a previous physical relationship that turned sour after Lanez admitted that he had also slept with Harris.
The “WAP” rapper also stated that Lanez apologized for wounding her and attempted to bribe her and Harris with a million dollars each to keep quiet. While on the stand, Harris pleaded the fifth and recanted her statements identifying Lanez as the shooter.
Evidence of text messages between her and Megan regarding the evidence proved her corroboration with the rapper’s story of Lanez welding the gun.
Court documents stated that Megan initially told responding officers that her injury resulted from stepping on glass.
She testified that she was worried about how “snitching” on Lanez would affect her music career.
