LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge sentenced rapper Tory Lanez to 10 years in prison Tuesday for shooting and wounding hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion in the legs, ending a three-year legal and cultural saga. . He sees two, runs away, and wins, gets confused.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford sentenced Lenz, 31, who was convicted in December of three felony counts: assault with a semi-automatic firearm; Having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
From the initial incident in the Hollywood Hills to a marathon two-day sentencing hearing in July 2020, the case caused a stir in the hip-hop community, raising issues including gender politics, the reluctance of black victims to speak with police, and more. In hip-hop, online toxicity, the safety of Black women, and the effects of misogyny, a specific type of misogyny experienced by Black women.
hereford said it was “hard to adjust” That’s the picture Lenz’s friends and family had drawn when they heard about the kind, caring and good father of the 6-year-old son of the man who pointed the gun at Megan.
“Sometimes good people do bad things”Hereford said. “Actions have consequences, and in this case there is no winner.”
Megan testified during the trial that as she was leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s home, Lanez fired a gun into the backs of her legs and yelled at her to dance. He had to undergo surgery to remove the bullet fragments. It was only a few months later that he revealed who had fired the gun.
“I haven’t felt a single day of peace since the defendant brutally shot me,” Megan said in a statement read to the court by the prosecutor on Monday. “Slowly but surely, I am recovering and coming back, but I will never be the same.”
Lenz asked Hereford for clemency, seeking probation or a minimum prison sentence, just before the judge was to sentence him.
“If I could go back and change the course of that night’s events”, Will be, Lenz continued. “The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care about today.”
Added: “I take full responsibility for whatever I did wrong that night.”
Lenz looked stunned when the sentence was read, but had no audible reaction. His family and fans were also silent in the courtroom after the sentencing.
The rapper was given nearly 10 months’ credit for the time he’s served, most of which he had been in jail for since pleading guilty in December.
“We are extremely disappointed” Lenz’s top lawyer, Jose Baez, said outside court. “I’ve seen vehicular homicide and other cases where death occurs, and the defendant still gets less than 10 years in prison.”
Bayes described this sentence as “In fact this is another example of someone being punished for his celebrity status and someone being used to set an example. And that’s not an example. It’s a human”.
Lenz’s attorneys plan to appeal the verdict and will try to get him released on bail while doing so.
Megan, whose legal name is Megan Peet, was repeatedly praised by prosecutors for her courage in testifying during the case and for enduring online hate campaigns directed against her.
“I hope that Miss Pete’s bravery will give hope to those who feel powerless,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said of Megan at a news conference following the sentencing.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of 13 years. Legally, Lenz was eligible for up to 22.
During Monday’s session, Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, held back tears as he recounted how the rapper’s mother died when he was 11, just days after he first displayed symptoms of the rare blood disorder. did, which would result in his death.
“I don’t think anyone will ever recover from this.” said of his youngest son, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson. “But his music became his outlet.”
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and has seen a steady rise in popularity leading to major label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts.
Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a huge rising star at the time of the shooting, and her fame has only grown since then. He won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2021 and had a No. 1 single with “Uncultured”with Beyoncé, and as a guest “WAP” by cardi b
The elder Peterson, a Christian minister, was one of several people who made statements about Lenz’s character and his charitable donations, as was the mother of Lenz’s son. Dozens of people, including rapper Iggy Azalea, wrote letters to Hereford, who asked the judge to impose a sentence that “Creating change, not destroying life.”
Herriford said Lenz’s 6-year-old son also sent a handwritten letter, but the judge did not elaborate.
Lenz’s family and supporters filled the courtroom; During the trial, he argued that Megan and powerful music figures wrongfully prosecuted him. After the verdict was read in December, Lenz’s father condemned the “evil system” that led to his son’s conviction; On Monday, Sonstar Peterson apologized to Hereford for the outburst.
During the sentencing hearing, the judge awarded several small victories to each side.
It found that Megan, who was wearing only a bathing suit and shoes in a deserted area when she was shot, was a particularly vulnerable victim, but that Lenz was not overly cruel or insensitive in shooting her.
The judge determined that Lenz did not pose a threat to public safety and that his lack of a criminal record should work in his favor.
Lenz’s attorneys argued that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his mother’s death and other childhood hardships. That stress, he said, leads to serious alcohol abuse in adulthood.
But the judge agreed with prosecutors that such mental illnesses should not be considered when sentencing and, in the end, gave prosecutors all they wanted.
Under California law, Lenz was allowed probation in the case only if the judge found unusual circumstances.
The judge found the case unusual due to the involvement of two famous people, which he said was not a factor.
“Just because she’s a celebrity, she shouldn’t be treated harshly.” Hereford said, “Nor should she be treated lightly because she is a celebrity.”
KJ