Tory Lanez discusses his creative process during BMI's How I Wrote That Song 2018 on January 27, 2018 in New York City.
Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for BMI
Tory Lanez Has Been Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
R&B singer and rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020.
Tory Lanez has officially been handed his prison sentence. On Tuesday (August 8), the 31-year-old R&B vocalist and rapper was sentenced to 10 years for his involvement in the July 2020 shooting of three-time Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion. The Traumazine rapper, born Megan Pete, accused Lanez, née Daystar Peterson, of shooting her in the foot after the pair, along with Pete’s former friend Kelsey Harris, left a party thrown at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home.
Meghan Cuniff, who has covered the case extensively, broke the news on Twitter.
In the courtroom, Lanez claimed to be innocent, saying that if he’s guilty, his childhood trauma and history with alcoholism are to blame. The artist also said that therapy would be a suitable alternative than prison if he’s found guilty. Presiding Judge David Herriford also stated that he received over 70 letters in support of Lanez, including one from rapper Iggy Azalea.
Others also spoke on Lanez’s behalf including his father, Sonstar Peterson, and a jail chaplain who spoke about the artist having a daily prayer with fellow inmates.
A few days after the shooting incident, Pete confirmed that she’d been shot in the foot prior to Peterson’s arrest. One month later, Pete directly named Peterson as the shooter. The two would later get into back-and-forth spats on social media, with Peterson alluding to Pete in references about their sexual encounters, and accusing her of lying.
Last year, Harris and Pete all took the stand as part of Peterson’s trial, where Harris evaded questions about the shooter, and Pete testified about her experience.
"This situation has only been worse for me and it has only made him more famous," Pete said during her testimony. "Because I was shot, I've been turned into some kind of villain, and he's the victim. This has messed up my whole life ... This whole situation in the industry is like a big boy's club ... I'm telling on one of y'all friends, now you're all about to hate me."
Last December, Peterson was found guilty on three felony charges, facing nine to 20 years in prison along with deportation. The artist’s fans attempted to come to his defense, launching petitions for an appeal. With a new defense attorney, Peterson also sought a new trial, while prosecutors said that he should be sentenced to 13 years.
The last Pete spoke about Lanez was in an April cover story of Elle, saying it would be her final time recounting the shooting.
“I view myself as a survivor, because I have truly survived the unimaginable. 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,” she said.
