Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, the Associated Press reports. He faced up to 22 years and 8 months for the three felony charges: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a concealed gun in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm in a negligent manner. Prosecutors had requested a 13-year sentence, noting that by California law he would not be forced to serve his entire sentence. “Sometimes good people do bad things,” Judge David Herriford said in Los Angeles Superior Court. “Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case.”
Today was the second consecutive day of court hearings around Lanez’s sentencing. On the first day, a statement by Megan Thee Stallion was read. “Since I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,” the statement read. “Slowly but surely, I’m healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.” She added that she “simply could not bring myself to be in a room with Tory again” and urged the judge to issue a stiff sentence.
Others gave statements in support of Lanez, speaking to his history of charitable giving and his life as a father. The rapper’s lawyers sought probation and treatment in a residential substance abuse program. Iggy Azalea wrote a letter seeking a “transformative, not life-destroying” sentence for Lanez; she later clarified that her letter was an example of her prison reform advocacy.
Tory Lanez was found guilty at trial in December 2022. In the opening arguments, a deputy district attorney from Los Angeles County had established a timeline of events based on Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony and the surrounding evidence: In July 2020, Lanez shot Megan during an argument after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. Shortly after Megan left the SUV they were inside, Lanez shot her feet; the bullet wounds left her hospitalized and unable to walk for several days.
Following the verdict, Los Angeles County’s district attorney, George Gascón, proclaimed Megan’s “bravery” in speaking up. “Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault and sexual violence because they are too often not believed,” he said in a statement. “This trial, for the second time this month, highlighted the numerous ways that our society must do better for women.”
Reached for comment, Megan Thee Stallion’s attorney, Alex Spiro, added: “The jury got it right. I am thankful there is justice for Meg.”
Lanez’s attorney, George Mgdesyan, said he was “shocked by the verdict.” At the end of March, Lanez’s legal team filed a motion for a new trial. One point of focus was the admission of an Instagram post into evidence after trial was underway, with Lanez’s legal team claiming that the rapper did not author a comment posted by his account.
Lanez had been under house arrest in the weeks leading up to his trial, a measure imposed when he allegedly assaulted August Alsina in September, in violation of his bail conditions. His bail had been raised twice for violating protective orders: once for appearing with DaBaby at Rolling Loud Miami, where Megan Thee Stallion was performing, and again in April for referencing to her on social media. He declined to testify during the trial.
