Tory Lanez Seeks New Trial After Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Conviction

On Wednesday, Tory Lanez filed a new trial motion just months after being found guilty of shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

Tory Lanez is seeking a new trial after being convicted in December for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion. In a December 2022 ruling, Lanez was found guilty on felony weapons and assault charges, facing up to 20 years in prison.

In court documents obtained by TMZ, the Canadian artist's defense attorney, Joan Baez, claims that prosecutors during the trial submitted a photo showing Lanez shirtless with a firearm tattooed on his chest. Although prosecutors say that the photo was used for identification reasons, Baez has pushed back, alleging that prosecutors wanted to suggest that the artist, legal name Daystar Peterson, had an affinity for weapons.

Per Rolling Stone, Baez also said that the previous trial was largely based on Peterson's social media activity, writing that jurors were "erroneously allowed" to read an Instagram comment towards Megan's former friend, Kelsey Harris. In the comment, Peterson suggested that Harris was not the shooter in the July 2020 incident. At the time, Peterson's Instagram account wrote “that’s not true” in response to a comment on The Shade Room’s account alleging that Harris shot Megan. Baez claims that the comment was written by Peterson's content creator Joshua Farias, and not by Peterson himself.  The comment was later used by Megan's legal during the trial, denying the defense's suggestion that Harris was the shooter.

"The court erred on numerous questions of law in allowing the People to introduce this post, depriving defendant of a fair trial. The only acceptable remedy for this miscarriage of justice is a new trial," the motion reads.