Tory Lanez Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 2020 shooting of fellow rapper, Megan Thee Stallion. 

After a nearly two-day-long sentencing hearing that included testimonies from seven character witnesses and summaries of over 70 letters attesting to his character, Judge David Herriford sentenced Lanez to a decade behind bars on Tuesday.

The musician will get a 305-day credit for time served. The Messenger was present in the courtroom for the sentencing.

When discussing Lanez's sentence, Herriford cited the rapper's post arrest conduct — including online posts discussing Megan as well as disinformation about the case — as a major aggravating factor that led him to seek midterm sentencing. Additionally, the judge credited Lanez having no criminal history, being an "asset" to the community and the likelihood that he will not reoffend as the reason he did not give the maximum sentencing.

On Tuesday, Lanez — whose real name is Daystar Peterson — spoke directly to the judge before the sentence was read. The rapper asked Herriford to consider the impacts that a prison sentence would have on his 6-year-old son, Kai, as well as asked him for an alternative sentence that would involve something other than jail time.

"I am genuinely asking you to put me to the test," Lanez said. "... I respect your ruling, whatever it's gonna be."

Additionally, Lanez apologized to Megan in his statement, whose real name is Megan Pete.

"I apologize," he said. "... We were friends that connected on various levels, [and] ... I still care about the victim today."

He continued, "I truly am just trying to be a better person ... I can prove to you that I will do this right."

In the closing statement leading up to the sentencing, the "Hurts Me" artist's attorney, Jose Baez, gave a passionate speech about Lanez's character, accompanied by images of the letters testifying to his character (including his son Kai's), a slideshow and an over five-minute-long video showing various charitable endeavors Lanez had coordinated or taken part in. Additionally, he showed images of tweets posted by Pete in response to Lanez's posts about her, calling it a "back and forth" exchange.

Baez asked the judge to take into consideration the "lives he has touched" and his attempts to "make this world a better place."

Deputy District Attorney Alex Bott said in his statement that the presentation from Baez felt like he was watching "the man of the year awards," and argued that Lanez was attempting to frame himself as the victim, rather than Pete.

On Monday, prosecutor Kathy Ta read a statement from Megan after the artist opted to not attend the session to preserve her mental health.

The rapper said she "simply could not bring myself to be in a room with Tory again," and called her experience after the "vicious shooting" "two and a half years of hell."

"If it can happen to me, imagine what can happen to [those without the resources I have]. Their lives matter," Megan's statement noted. "His crime warrants the full weight of the law."

Among the character witnesses was Lanez's father, Sonstar Peterson, who spoke about his son's childhood after he lost his mother at age 11. Additionally, Peterson gave a tearful apology to the judge after a previous outburst at the time of his son's conviction.

"God has put it in your hands," Peterson said Monday.

Lanez was previously denied a motion for a new trial by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford in May.

Baez argued at the time that "procedural errors, prosecutorial misconduct, discovery violations and ineffective counsel" led to his client's conviction, according to reports from AP, KTLA and ABC7. 

His legal team also said that an Instagram post in which the hip-hop artist claimed that he was "wrongfully convicted" of shooting the "Savage" rapper was improperly admitted as evidence. 

Additionally, his attorneys — who did not represent him during the trial — also argued that his previous attorney, George Mgdesyan, made mistakes during Lanez's trial and did not have enough time to properly prepare. 

In Dec. 2022, the Alone at Prom artist was convicted on three felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. 

Megan, a six-time Grammy Award nominee and three-time winner, alleged that Lanez shot her in the feet during an argument after a party at Kylie Jenner's home in July 2020. The "Hot Girl Summer" rapper came forward with the allegations against Lanez the following month. He was charged in October that same year and has remained in jail since his verdict was read on Dec. 23, 2022.