A California court on Wednesday denied Tory Lanez‘s appeal to overturn his guilty verdict in the July 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
A three-judge panel of the California 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld the felony convictions and 10-year prison sentence of the Canadian rapper, born Daystar Peterson, according to The Associated Press and legal journalist Meghann Cunniff.
As Blavity reported, Lanez was found guilty on three felony charges on Dec. 23, 2022, which included assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The high-profile case divided the online community, with both rappers receiving support from their respective fan bases, particularly Lanez, whose #freeTory hashtags are still used today.
‘He was convicted by overwhelming evidence’
The rapper has tried to overturn his conviction through multiple appeals since he was found guilty of the shooting. In May, Meg’s attorney, Alex Spiro, argued that Lanez and his legal team tried to change the outcome of the guilty verdict but insisted that the law should uphold it, according to The Grio.
“Tory Lanez was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers and his case was properly adjudicated through the court system,” Spiro said in a statement obtained by The Grio. “This is not a political matter — this is a case of a violent assault that was resolved in the court of law.”
“Despite Mr. Lanez being convicted at trial by overwhelming evidence (that included his own admission of his guilt), he and his team — flanked by any ignorant person they can find — have pushed whatever misleading narrative they can,” Spiro explained in a 31-page report obtained by Rolling Stone. “One by one, their misleading statements unravel and all that is left is the simple truth: he was convicted by overwhelming evidence and those who seek to traumatize the victim of the crime should be called out as foolish bullies.”
Megan Thee Stallion recounted what happened that night during the trial
During the trial, Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, recounted the night everything changed for her, including her relationship with Lanez. She had texted him on the night of July 12, 2020, to attend a small gathering hosted by Kylie Jenner. When he arrived, only Megan, her then-friend Kelsie Harris, and Jenner were present, per Blavity.
The group later left together in an SUV with security guard Jauquan Smith before Megan and Lanez got into a heated argument. Megan said the “Say It” artist then pointed a gun at her and told her to dance before she was shot in the foot.
In April 2024, Megan opened up in her cover interview with Women’s Health, sharing the struggles she faced with her mental health due to the aftermath of the shooting.
“As a Black woman, as a darker Black woman, I also feel like people expect me to take the punches, take the beating, take the lashings, and handle it with grace. But I’m human,” she said.