Canadian rapper sentenced to 10 years in prison in Megan Thee Stallion
shooting
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[August 09, 2023]
(Reuters) -Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced on Tuesday to
10 years in prison, more than seven months after he was convicted of
shooting fellow musical artist Megan Thee Stallion during an argument in
2020.
Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence to the 30-year-old
rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, during a hearing in Los
Angeles Superior Court that had been pushed back by delays.
On Dec. 23, a jury found Lanez guilty of carrying a loaded and
unregistered firearm in a vehicle, assault with a semiautomatic handgun
and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Lanez was accused of shooting Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion,
28, injuring her feet after a pool party in the Hollywood Hills in July
2020.
The shooting was preceded by an argument that became heated when the two
began attacking each other's music careers, she told the court during
the two-week trial.
Megan Thee Stallion, who was born Megan Pete, needed surgery and spent
four days in the hospital before physical therapy allowed her to walk
again.
She did not attend the sentencing hearing, saying she could not bear to
be in the same room as Lanez but wrote a statement that was read in
court on Monday, the New York Times reported.
"He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma," the statement
said. "This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and
there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence."
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Megan Thee Stallion arrives to attend
the 2022 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las
Vegas, Nevada, U.S. May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
Jose Baez, a defense lawyer
representing Lanez, told reporters outside the courthouse that he
thought the sentence was too harsh and that Lanez would appeal his
conviction, saying he had not received a fair trial. Lanez' lawyers
had sought a sentence of probation.
"I have seen homicide case, other cases where
there's a death and the person still gets less than 10 years," Baez
said. "It's just another example of somebody being punished for
their celebrity status, someone being utilized as an example."
Megan Thee Stallion won Grammy awards for best new artist, best rap
performance and best rap song in 2021. She has also been nominated
for six more.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, whose office
prosecuted the case, said after December's verdict that women,
especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes such as assault
and sexual violence because they are too often not believed.
"The fact that Ms. Pete is a successful entertainer has brought the
spotlight on the important issue of violence against women," he told
reporters after the verdict.
(Reporting by Jane Ross in Los Angeles and Jonathan Allen in New
York; Writing by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Lisa
Shumaker)
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