advertisement
Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
advertisement
Popular
Latest News
advertisement
BILLBOARD CANADA FYI
A weekly briefing on what matters in the music industry
By signing up you agree to Billboard Canada’s privacy policy.
advertisement
advertisement
Paras Griffin/GI
Tory Lanez performs onstage during 2018 V-103 Winterfest at State Farm Arena on Dec. 15 in Atlanta.
Music News
Megan Thee Stallion's Legal Team Denies Claims of New Evidence in Tory Lanez Shooting Case
The nonprofit organization Unite the People held a press conference yesterday with new claims from Kelsey Harris' bodyguard that he overheard her say that she fired the gun, not Lanez.
9m
New developments continue to roll in regarding the Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez case.
Megan Thee Stallion's team have responded to new allegations made by the incarcerated Toronto rapper's legal team this week (May 14) regarding the shooting case in which the Toronto rapper is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in 2020.
The Los Angeles nonprofit social justice organization Unite the People, which currently represents the rapper, hosted a press conference on Wednesday where attorney Walter Roberts presented new evidence surrounding the case. Kelsey Harris' bodyguard Bradley James filed an affidavit in which he allegedly overheard Harris say that she fired the gun, and not Lanez (real name: Daystar Peterson).
advertisement
“[Harris] fired at [Megan] three times. Mr. Peterson grabbed her arm and knocked it down, and the gun fired two more times," Roberts claimed. "In essence, Mr. Peterson never shot anybody. Never even touched the gun. He never fired the gun. This statement aligns with the statement of the only non-party witness to the case, Mr. Sean Kelly, who at trial testified he saw two women fighting."
Megan Thee Stallion's lawyer Alex Spiro has since refuted these claims in a statement to XXL, citing the full legal process that led up to the rapper's conviction.
"Tory Lanez was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers and his case was properly adjudicated through the court system. This is not a political matter — this is a case of a violent assault that was resolved in the court of law," the statement reads.
The press conference comes after the rapper was reportedly the victim of a stabbing in prison earlier this week (May 12). According to Lanez's team via Instagram, he was stabbed a total of 14 times, sustaining injuries to his back, torso, the back of his head and the side of his face, as well as two collapsed lungs. He is currently breathing on his own and continues to recover in the hospital.
advertisement
Local authorities have named 42-year-old inmate Santino Casio, who is currently serving a life sentence for murder charges, as a suspect, according to local news.
Harris, who is Megan's former friend, was reportedly present during the incident and played an important role in the case. Both women were unknowingly romantically involved with Lanez simultaneously, which fuelled the argument that led up to the shooting. Despite initially claiming that Lanez had threatened her with a gun, Harris used her fifth amendment rights to avoid incriminating herself on the stand.
Lanez was later convicted on three counts of felony assault in August 2023.
Billboard has reached out to Megan Thee Stallion’s rep and Unite the People for comment.
keep readingShow less
advertisement
Popular
advertisement
Published by ARTSHOUSE MEDIA GROUP (AMG) under license from Billboard Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation.
advertisement