A judge has denied Tory Lanez a new trial over the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, and prosecutors say he’s facing at least nine years behind bars. Details inside…
Canadian rapper Tory Lanez has been denied a new trial over the 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion, as a judge rejected his lawyers’ claims that his prior legal representation was inadequate and had a possible conflict of interest that prejudiced his case.
Tory Lanez WILL NOT get a new trial for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. This is according to Judge David Herriford, who ruled from the bench a few minutes ago.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
“Tory Lanez WILL NOT get a new trial for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. This is according to Judge David Herriford, who ruled from the bench a few minutes ago,” tweeted Meghann Cuniff (aka Meghann THEE Reporter). He filed the appeal in March 2023.
Judge David Herriford of the Los Angeles County Superior Court stated, “In the end, the jury believed the prosecution’s case beyond a reasonable doubt,” after denying the motion for a new trial. The Canadian rapper/singer did not make any comments after the decision, but had pleaded with the judge before being escorted out of the courtroom on Monday, saying, “Please don’t ruin my life. I could be your son. I could be your brother. Please don’t ruin my life.”
On Tuesday, Judge Herriford reportedly stated that he did not find any mistakes in the trial that were raised by Tory’s new attorneys, Matthew Barhoma from Los Angeles and Jose Baez, a prominent criminal defense lawyer from Miami, Florida, who successfully defended accused child killer Casey Anthony in 2011.
The judge stated that even if he had found the alleged errors to be valid, none of them were significant enough to alter Tory Lanez’s guilty verdict. He emphasized that Tory’s lawyers did not mention any additional evidence against their client while challenging specific evidence, and that, as a judge, he must consider the case as a whole rather than just isolated parts.
Judge Herriford declared, “Even if all of these rulings had favored your client, it would not have altered the verdict.”
Tory Lanez will be sentenced on June 13 at 10:30 a.m. for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Judge Herriford set the date a few minutes ago after hearing final comment from Lanez’s lawyers on the rejected motion for new trial.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
“Tory Lanez will be sentenced on June 13 at 10:30 a.m. for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. Judge Herriford set the date a few minutes ago after hearing final comment from Lanez’s lawyers on the rejected motion for new trial,” Meghann tweeted.
Tory Lanez is set to be sentenced on June 13th, and his legal team can file an appeal of his conviction and sentence with the California Court of Appeal after the sentencing.
Judge Herriford dismissed Baez and Barhoma’s claim that Tory Lanez’s prior attorneys, Shawn Holley and George Mgdesyan, offered inadequate counsel. He affirmed that Holley and Mgdesyan had represented Lanez “effectively and forcefully.”
The judge’s decision came after Barhoma and Baez made a daring attempt to remove him from the case.
In a jaw-dropping move, Lanez’s lawyers filed a motion to disqualify Judge Herriford from Lanez’s case, then told the judge they didn’t think he could issue his ruling until the motion was resolved. Herriford disagreed.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
Barhoma and Baez became dissatisfied with Herriford at the beginning of the hearing as he denied their request to call witnesses and instructed them to present their arguments in a specific order, not the order they thought would be most convincing. Despite this, each potential witness provided a written statement, and Herriford assured them that he had reviewed and taken into account each one while delivering his decision.
Judge Herriford stated that summoning witnesses is not typical for motions for new trial in California state court, clarifying that, “This is a motion for new trial. It is not a new trial.”
According to Alexander Bott, a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County, Tory could receive a minimum sentence of nine years in prison, with a maximum of 22 years and eight months.
“I think any time you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger five times, that’s an action that could easily kill a person, and I think that’s an action that should have serious consequences,” Bott said outside the courthouse.
Peep the clip below:
Tory’s attorney, Matthew Barhoma, stated upon leaving the courthouse that he is not yet contemplating sentencing.
”What I do know is that my client is a fighter and this is just the start, I can assure you of that,” Barhoma expressed. “I know Tory very well. He’s a fighter, and he’s fully committed to this. Therefore, we’ll have to wait and see what comes next.”
He continued, “We won’t give up until we get him out.”
Watch the clip below:
Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was found guilty on three felony counts, including assault with a semiautomatic handgun, for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, on December 23, 2022. He could face more than 20 years in prison and potential deportation.
The incident occurred after a verbal argument with Meg and her former friend Kelsey Nicole, and Tory was convicted of assault, having a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
How much time do you think he’ll receive?
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Photos: Instagram
