Tory Lanez’s efforts to challenge his 2022 felony conviction have hit another roadblock. The rapper, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, filed two new petitions in connection with the 2020 shooting of hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion, but both were denied by the California Court of Appeals on Tuesday.
One petition involved a failure to call Peterson’s driver as a witness, while the other sought to introduce a new statement from a security guard connected to Kelsey Harris, Megan’s former best friend. According to Lanez’s legal team, Bradley Jennings — who worked as a driver and bodyguard for Harris — claimed he witnessed a conversation in which Harris allegedly said she had fired the gun, and Peterson only tried to prevent further shots. Lanez’s attorney argued, “In essence, Mr. Peterson never shot anybody.”
Megan Thee Stallion’s team quickly responded to the attempt, emphasizing the legitimacy of the original trial. “Tory Lanez was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers and his case was properly adjudicated through the court system,” they said, per XXL Magazine. “This is not a political matter — this is a case of a violent assault that was resolved in the court of law.”
Peterson is currently serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted of assault with a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm, and negligent discharge of a gun. He still has an active main appeal scheduled for oral argument on August 18.
This is not Lanez’s first attempt to revive the case. In May 2023, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied his motion for a new trial, despite Peterson personally pleading, “I could be your son. I could be your brother.” Later that year, in August, he was sentenced to a decade behind bars.
With the latest petitions denied, Lanez’s legal options appear increasingly limited as he prepares for his upcoming appeal.
Source: XXL
