Image: Courtesy
Canadian rapper Daystar Peterson popularly known as Tory Lanez has had enough of jail time and is now filing for an appeal to throw out his conviction for shooting fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion back in 2020.
3 months ago, a jury in Los Angeles convicted the 30-year-old Canadian of 3 felonies which include; negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.
The 'Say it' rapper was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison but it seems he isn't going down without a fight.
In his appeal, Tory is now claiming that prosecutors tried to dirty him up with irrelevant evidence.
Through his new lawyer, famed criminal defence attorney Jose Baez, the rapper is truly clutching at straws with his new arguments. First Baez claims prosecutors submitted a shirtless photo of Tory with a firearm tattoo on his chest during the trial.
According to Baez, the prosecutors said it was merely for identification purposes, but he feels that was front and they specifically, used the photo to underscore to the jury his client had a fondness for weapons.
Image: Commons Wikimedia
Baez also maintains that it was a reversible error for prosecutors to threaten to present Tory's rap lyrics to the jury. Although this has been done countless times.
I mean prosecutors are using Yung Thug's and Gunna's lyrics against them in their RICCO case so nothing new there. 6ix9ine, Bobbie Shmurda, and Boosie among a few have had their songs used against them in a court of law.
Lyrics being used against rappers in court dates back to 2 Live Crew in the 1990s. The rap group was arrested and charged with violating the obscenity law.
Still trying to build an argument, Torry's lawyer feels that the jury's verdict was based on the 80-minute interview prosecutors had with Kelsey Harris (Megan's friend who was in the car the night of the shooting.) The audio was devastating to Tory's case, but Kelsey later recanted a lot of what she said in that interview.
Another claim from Baez is that it was wrong to allow statements Megan made to cops that Tory said to her immediately after the shooting, which include "please don't say anything because I'm on probation."
As for how Tory's doing in jail while awaiting sentencing Baez says his client's never been convicted before, so he's never gone through anything like this but says he's trying to make adjustments.
During the trial, Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, testified that she was shot and wounded at the party in the Hollywood Hills on 12 July 2020.
The rapper argued that Lanez, became enraged after she had disparaged his musical talent. She said she had demanded to be let out of a luxury car before he fired five rounds at her.
She told the jury the Canadian had told her to "dance" before opening fire.
Megan also testified that he had offered her $1m (£830,000) to keep quiet about the attack because he claimed to be on probation for a weapons offence. She initially said to police that she had cut her feet on glass.
Lanez denied the charges relating to a dispute with the fellow artist and his lawyer, George Mgdesyan, unsuccessfully argued that the investigation had been botched.
He said it was Megan Thee Stallion's friend Kelsey Harris who had shot her, adding that it was all about "jealousy".
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