The California Supreme Court has denied review of rapper Tory Lanez’s criminal conviction, leaving intact his 10-year prison sentence for shooting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. KESQ 3 broke the news on Wednesday.
The high court’s decision declines to disturb a November ruling from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal, which affirmed Lanez’s convictions on three felony counts. A Los Angeles jury in December 2022 found Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, guilty of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He was sentenced in August 2023.
In a 46-page opinion, the appellate panel rejected defense arguments alleging evidentiary and procedural errors at trial. The justices concluded the record contained “more than sufficient” evidence to support the jury’s finding that Peterson personally inflicted great bodily injury on Megan Pete.
Tory Lanez’s Megan Thee Stallion Case Petition Denied By California Supreme Court
At trial, Megan testified that Lanez shot her in the feet on July 12, 2020, following an argument after a gathering at Kylie Jenner’s home in the Hollywood Hills. She told jurors she had “no doubt” he fired the weapon and alleged he later offered her $1 million to remain silent. According to her testimony, he yelled, “dance, bitch,” before shooting.
Under cross-examination, Megan addressed her initial reluctance to report the incident, stating she “didn’t want to be a snitch.” She said she later chose to “defend my name” after public figures questioned whether she had been shot.
During sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott argued the shooting occurred because Megan “bruised his ego,” characterizing it as “an act of misogyny.” Defense attorney Jose Baez called that theory “nuts,” contending alcohol contributed to “foolish, reckless behavior” and asserting, “The intent was not to take someone’s life.”
In 2024, Megan secured a restraining order alleging Lanez orchestrated online harassment from prison. A Los Angeles judge granted that request in January 2025.
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