*Tory Lanez may end up in jail even longer than the nearly 23 years he’s facing if a judge agrees that there were “aggravating factors” in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting.
According to the website legalaffairsandtrials.com, prosecutors filed a new motion seeking a longer prison sentence because Lanez “demonstrated a high level of callousness” in firing at Megan Thee Stallion “without any justifiable provocation or reason.”
Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, has been in jail without bond since Dec. 23 after a jury convicted him of first-degree assault with a firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and having a concealed firearm in a vehicle – unregistered. If Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford agrees with prosecutors’ recommended aggravating factors, he’ll legally be able to sentence Lanez to more than the middle range of the maximum, which is 22 years and 8 months in prison.
The five-page motion from Deputy District Attorneys Kathy Ta and Alex Bott cite three aggravating factors that justify a longer sentence: The callousness he showed towards Megan Thee Stallion, and great bodily harm he caused her; his use of a semi-automatic firearm; and Megan’s vulnerability as a victim.
The filing states: “Victim was dressed in only a bikini, shoeless and on foot in a neighborhood completely foreign to her. It was late at night. She was unarmed and completely defenseless.” They say Lanez “posed a significant danger to everyone (witnesses and neighbors) in the vicinity of this shooting.”
“The brazenness of Defendant’s conduct is alarming but the conscious disregard for the well-being and safety of all those around him signifies a high degree of indifference for human life,” the motion continues.
Prosecutors also cited Megan Thee Stallion’s pain and suffering. “Victim went through physical therapy for several months, received stitches and was in significant pain,” the filing states. “Victim testified that she continues to suffer from nerve damage and experience soreness, particularly when she has to perform as part of her work.”
The court filing also addressed the great bodily harm aggravating factor which can involve callousness. “As victim began to walk away from Defendant wearing only a bikini and no shoes, Defendant mocked Victim with ‘Dance b***h’ as [he] opened fire in her direction. With no justifiable reason, Defendant fired not just one but up to five rounds in the direction of Victim in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” prosecutors wrote.
With regard to the firearm aggravator, prosecutors stated, “immediately after the shooting, the gun was found at [Lanez’s] feet, warm to the touch and in a slide lock position, indicating Defendant had fired every round from that gun.”
Prosecutors also pointed to Megan’s vulnerability as a victim and say she was unaware that Tory was armed with a loaded gun. “She was afforded no opportunity and was in no position to defend herself, find cover, or shield herself in anyway. Besides an argument in the car, there was no justifiable provocation or event that would have signaled to her that Defendant would have fired a gun at her, not just once but five times. Victims was taken entirely by surprise. Given the surrounding circumstances, she was particularly vulnerable,” the filing states.
While prosecutors have not recommended a specific sentence, they are expected to do so in filings before June 6. Judge Herriford is due to sentence Lanez on June 13. Earlier this month, the judge rejected Lanez’s motion for a new trial.
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