Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
**UPDATE: 8/8/2023, 6:20 PM**
Tory Lanez has been sentenced to serve a decade in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020, as reported by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff.
The sentence comes after two emotionally-charged days that wrapped up with an emotional victim impact statement read on Megan’s behalf, detailing the impact that the shooting had on her.
“Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,” Megan said in the statement, as reported by AP News. “Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.”
Megan admitted that she struggled with whether she would appear to give the statement in person, but said she “simply could not bring myself to be in a room with Tory again.”
She then asked Judge David Herriford for a stiff sentence and to not take her absence as a sign of indifference.
Earlier in the day, Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, pleaded for mercy for his son.
The elder Peterson claims that Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, was greatly affected by the death of his mother when he was young.
“I don’t think anybody ever gets over that,” he said. “But his music became his outlet.”
The rapper also received over 70 letters of support, including one from Iggy Azalea, who asked for a sentence “that is transformational, not life destroying.” (She would later refute on social media that she actually supported him.)
Judge Herriford gave small victories to both sides in the moments leading up to sentencing. For the defense, Herriford said that he was not inclined to consider Lanez as a threat to public safety. He also noted that he had no significant criminal record. However, he agreed with the prosecution that mental health should not be considered as a factor in the sentence.
The defense plans to appeal the conviction.
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**UPDATED 8/7/2023, 7:34 PM**
Legal reporter Meghann Cuniff confirmed on Twitter that Judge David Herriford has concluded the sentence hearing for the day. Sentencing will resume tomorrow morning at 10:30 am PST (1:30 pm EST).
**ORIGINAL STORY: 8/7/2023, 12:31 PM**
Rapper Tory Lanez is set to be sentenced tomorrow for shooting Megan Thee Stallion three years ago.
Superior Court Judge David Herriford is expected to hand down the sentence at 10:30 am PST (1:30 pm EST) in Los Angeles. According to AP News, it is possible that Megan could be present for a victim impact statement or have one read on her behalf.
Prosecutors originally asked for the “Say It” artist to serve 13 years in prison, while the defense asked for probation and entry into a substance abuse program.
Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, was found guilty in December 2022 on three felony counts: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
As reported by FOX 11 in Los Angeles, the jury deliberated for about seven hours before finding him guilty on the charges. A request by Lanez’s team for a new trial was rejected in May.
RELATED: Tory Lanez Found Guilty On All Charges In Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case
Source: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty
Megan Thee Stallion testified that on July 12, 2020, the two rappers got into an argument following a get-together at Kylie Jenner’s home. During the argument, Lanez told her to “dance, bitch,” and fired five rounds into her feet. Later, he offered Megan $1 million for her silence.
The Grammy-winning MC, real name Megan Pete, initially had no intention to discuss the incident because she “didn’t want to be a snitch.” However, after constant misinformation circulated around social media, she ultimately decided to clear her name and publicly identified Lanez as the shooter.
“As I reflect on the past three years, I view myself as a survivor, because I have truly survived the unimaginable,” Megan wrote in a personal essay for Elle Magazine.
“Not only did I survive being shot by someone I trusted and considered a close friend, but I overcame the public humiliation of having my name and reputation dragged through the mud by that individual for the entire world to see.”
Deputy District Attorneys Kathy Ta and Alexander Bott echo that sentiment in their sentencing memo.
“Since that night, the defendant has waged a campaign to humiliate and re-traumatize the victim through his actions and words,” the prosecutors wrote. “His online posts for nearly three years have re-traumatized the victim. His online reach is worldwide (millions of followers plus casual observers) and the defendant’s statements embolden his followers so that they too have been complicit in retraumatizing the victim.”
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In their own memo (obtained by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff), defense attorneys Jose Baez and Ed Welbourn asked for probation so that Lanez could continue his charitable efforts and receive help for substance abuse. Although they maintain that Lanez is innocent, they mentioned that his alcohol use & unresolved trauma may have been factors in the alleged crime.
Tory Lanez Sentenced 10 Ten Years In Prison For Shooting Megan Thee Stallion was originally published on hiphopnc.com
