Tory Lanez has taken a step toward a new trial in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case, with his legal team making a motion for a fresh trial after recent changes in representation, as reported by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff.
Tory Lanez Requests New Trial in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case https://t.co/1PQBqYJEzW
— Variety (@Variety) March 30, 2023
Future looking dim
Lanez faced three felony charges in the July 2020 incident: assault with a firearm, concealing an unregistered firearm in his vehicle, and discharging a firearm with negligence. If convicted of all charges, he could potentially face up to 22 years in prison and deportation to Canada.
After nearly two years of waiting, the case against Tory Lanez over his alleged shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in 2020 is finally underway. The trial is scheduled to open in Los Angeles County court today.
tory lanez big headed ass minion tryna request a new trial like i wont slap his 3 dimensional forehead pic.twitter.com/Uw2DaAe02l
— nova⁷ 🪞 seeing txt (@jmswrrld) March 30, 2023
Megan Thee Stallion plans to testify tomorrow that Tory Lanez shot her, TMZ reports. The shooting occurred on the night of July 12, 2020, when Megan and Lanez were out with her former assistant Kelsey Harris.
The shooting happened after Lanez insulted Megan and her music career, she said. The singer allegedly shouted, “dance b***h,” and shot her in the foot.
Prosecutors have argued that Lanez shot Megan, but his lawyer says it was a case of mistaken identity and he was not the shooter. Attorney George G. Mgdesyan also says his client had no sexual relationship with Megan, which is contrary to what Megan had previously told the judge in her sworn testimony.
What the attorney says
Mgdesyan argues that Lanez’s ex-girlfriend, Kelsey Harris, had no involvement in the shooting, and that her presence at the scene was “inconsistent” with Lanez’s account of events. He has also maintained that Harris was on “probation” at the time of the shooting, which is a theory that would put her at a disadvantage in this case.
He also argues that Megan’s claims that Lanez offered her $1 million are bogus and that she was lying when she said Lanez was on probation. He also argues that Lanez’s lawyer failed to place the driver of his Cadillac Escalade on the witness stand, which could lead to a mistrial.
The defense has also raised a number of red flags, including the fact that Megan’s boyfriend had previously been arrested in a similar shooting and that Lanez had been on a court-ordered diversion program at the time of the incident.
Another red flag is that prosecutors’ evidence of Lanez’s connection to Megan was weak, with only his name and the date of the shooting appearing on the arrest record. This lack of documentation was an issue for Lanez’s defense team, who argued that it was too difficult to prove that Lanez had been with Megan.
Prosecutors were also critical of the way in which Lanez’s lawyers used their last address to the jury to challenge Megan’s credibility, while arguing that the lack of DNA conclusively linking Lanez to the 9mm handgun found at his feet was enough to acquit him based on reasonable doubt. They also disputed the prosecution’s claim that Megan had been suffering from a psychiatric condition at the time of the shooting.
