Nearly eight months after disgraced singer Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion back in 2020, the 31-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday.
The long-awaited hearing began on Monday, where written statements from Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, as well as witnesses pleading on Lanez’s behalf were read to the courtroom. In her letter to Judge David Herriford, the Grammy winner said she “[had] not experienced a single day of peace” since the shooting, referencing Lanez’s public taunting of her. Megan also asked the court to pardon her absence from the hearing and requested a harsh sentence for Lanez.
Meanwhile, Lanez’s defense team submitted 76 letters, including ones from the singer’s relatives and son, a Missouri police chief, and even Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. (Azalea has since tweeted that she didn’t realize her letter would be made public.) Before the trial, Lanez’s attorney’s submitted a memo requesting the court to sentence to him to probation instead of prison.
Just before his sentencing Tuesday, Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, addressed the judge and said that Megan was “someone I still care for dearly to this day,” adding that the pair became close after bonding over the shared loss of their mothers. He also asked to be spared a prison sentence, citing his son and a genuine will to better himself, according to California court reporter Meghann Cuniff.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón lauded the sentencing decision in a statement Tuesday night, writing that “over the past three years, Mr. Peterson has engaged in a pattern of conduct that was intended to intimidate Ms. Pete and silence her truths from being heard.”
“Women, especially Black women, are afraid to report crimes like assault because they are too often not believed,” he added. “I commend Megan Pete for her incredible bravery and vulnerability as she underwent months of probing investigation and court appearances where she had to relive her trauma, and the public scrutiny that followed.”
After a drawn-out public legal battle, this latest decision puts an end to one of hip-hop’s biggest and most polarizing news stories over the past few years. The shooting incident occurred on July 12, 2020, when Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, fired a gun at Megan Thee Stallion after they attended a party together at Kylie Jenner’s house. Lanez was initially only arrested for carrying an unconcealed weapon. A few days later, Megan claimed she suffered gunshot wounds in her foot the same night. It wasn’t until August, however, that she named Lanez as her assailant.
In October of that year, Lanez was officially charged with three felony counts: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, personal use of a firearm, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle—all of which he pleaded not guilty to. After a highly publicized trial in December 2022, a jury found the Canadian singer guilty on all three charges.
Following the trial, prosecutors called for Lanez to be sentenced to 13 years in prison for the offense, and for what they described as a subsequent “campaign of misinformation” meant to discredit Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez’s attorneys, meanwhile, called for probation and a residential drug treatment program.
Lanez has been criticized for his callous antics throughout the entire ordeal. In June, prosecutors cited his retaliatory behavior toward Megan in their sentencing request, including multiple instances where he and his team publicly accused Megan of lying. Court documents obtained earlier this year by reporter Meghann Cuniff also revealed Lanez and rapper DaBaby’s aborted plans to ambush Megan during her set at the 2021 Rolling Loud festival.
As the saga played out in court, on social media, and on hip-hop gossip blogs, several rappers came to Lanez’s defense, including 50 Cent, who later apologized for posting memes discrediting Megan’s allegations. Drake also garnered scrutiny last year for his song “Circo Loco,” in which he raps the lyric, “This bitch lie ‘bout getting shots, but she still a stallion.” Meanwhile, a slew of celebrities have shown their support for Megan, including Cardi B, Kehlani, Lizzo, Michael B. Jordan, and Chance The Rapper.
Following the shooting, Megan Thee Stallion has used her platform to address misogyny in the Black community and the hurdles Black women face within the court system, penning an op-ed in The New York Times about her experience and dedicating one of her Saturday Night Live performances to Breonna Taylor. In an essay she wrote for Elle in April, the Grammy winner said she’s ready to move on from the incident.
