Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, testified in the assault trial case against Rapper and alleged ex-boyfriend Tory Lanez. He allegedly shot her in July 2020, in the early morning hours after a party in Los Angeles. According to prosecutors, Tory, Megan, and Megan’s former friend Kelsey Harris had attended Kylie Jenner’s house party together. Tory lashed out at Megan Thee Stallion after she criticized his rap abilities. Lanez apparently fired toward her feet as she walked away from the vehicle they had both been riding in. The prosecutor in the Tory Lanez shooting case told the jury that Tory and Megan were in an intimate relationship, despite Megan previously saying otherwise.
The Trial
The 10-day trial began on Monday, Dec. 12, but the legal drama started back in February, when both Megan and Lanez took to social media to exchange allegations, with Megan sharing texts she claimed prove Lanez is guilty. On Monday, opening statements began, in which he’s accused of shooting Megan, wounding her in both feet, after shouting “Dance, bitch” in July 2020. Lanez denies being the shooter, and Megan is adamant she saw Lanez fire the shot.
Prosecutor Alexander Bott told the jury that Tory and Megan were romantically involved at some point. While laying out his case, he also reportedly said the argument that preceded the shooting was sparked after Megan told Tory his music was not good. According to Rolling Stone, the prosecution showed text messages from Megan’s former friend and assistant, Kelsey Harris, to Megan’s bodyguard, asking for help just minutes after the shooting. “Tory shot Meg,” one of the texts reads. They are also expected to present a text message in which Mr. Lanez apologizes to Megan after the shooting.
Trial Proceedings
According to a thread of tweets by Nancy Dillon, a Rolling Stone senior reporter, Lanez’s lawyer, George Mgdesyan, said the case is about “jealousy,” suggesting the fight started because Megan was jealous of Kylie Jenner. He pushed the theory that Meg’s former close friend Harris may have been the shooter and said no one beyond Megan heard “Dance, b*ch.” Dillon also reported that in the second half of closing, Mgdesyan said Lanez wasn’t apologizing for shooting during a jail call. He apparently apologized to Harris for “cheating on her” and “having a sexual relationship with both of them.” The lawyer concluded that DNA and fingerprints were not run for Harris on the gun, so “we’ll never know.”
Megan’s Testimony
“I didn’t want to talk to the officers because I didn’t want to be a snitch,”
– Megan Thee Stallion
Award-winning rapper Meg Thee Stallion took the stand on Tuesday, December 13th. She testified that she still has nerve damage after Tory shot her in the feet in the wake of an argument.
While testifying, Megan Thee Stallion largely reiterated what she had told reporters and recounted on social media about the encounter. Megan testified that she had initially misrepresented the events of that night to the police because tensions were high after the murder of George Floyd. She says she was afraid of how they would respond. “Because Tory has come out and told so many lies about me, and making this all a sex scandal, people don’t want to touch me,” she said. “It feels like I’m a sick bird.”
Kelsey Harris’s Day In Court
Kelsey Harris was spotted entering the court on Wednesday morning, December 14th. According to James Queally, a LA Times reporter, Harris’s testimony began with her showing up with an attorney and asking for immunity. It was granted even after the DA swore he had no intent to prosecute her. No one knows what the immunity was for, and apparently, there was no comment from Lanez’s defense team. According to Queally, “Kelsey stood on the stand, saying a lot of her memory of the party was “blurry” because of alcohol consumption.” Harris accused Megan of lying about her and called the accusations that she shot Megan “ridiculous.”
The Plot Thickens…
The plot twist here is, why did Kelsey take the 5th if there’s nothing to hide? Why is Kelsey admitting to making a statement that she now claims was a lie she told to protect herself? Tory Lanez is clearly accusing Kelsey of being the shooter, so why is she not coming clean to protect herself? And why is Megan denying ever having an intimate relationship with Tory?
According to Lawyer For Workers, who was present inside the courtroom, Kelsey explained the events of the day in detail. She said they were at Kylie’s house, and there was a lot of alcohol consumption. Apparently, Tory was all over Kylie, and Megan wasn’t happy about that. Kelsey and Meg then decided to leave without Tory, but on the way, Meg started rumbling, asking to go back because she had “forgotten her slipper.” It was then that Meg went inside and came back to the car with Tory; however, they were arguing, and Meg then dissed Tory about being a bad rapper. In the midst of all that, Tory also confessed to Kelsey (whom he had been seeing after being hooked up by Megan) that he had been having an intimate relationship with Megan. That’s when the argument got more heated, all hell broke loose, and shots were fired.
It is reported that Kelsey said she and Megan met Tory on the same day at a concert. However, Megan hooked Kelsey and Tory up, but Kelsey later caught Covid, and she went home to a different city. During that time, Megan and Tory started hooking up.
Inside the courtroom Part 1
Inside the courtroom Part 2
Evidence
Mr. Mgdesyan suggested that there was a lack of physical evidence to prove the case against Mr. Lanez beyond a reasonable doubt. He told jurors, The Los Angeles Times reported, that Mr. Lanez’s DNA had not been found on the gun. Apart from the texts from Harris to Megan’s bodyguard and the apology texts from Lanez to Megan, there isn’t yet any reported evidence.
Charges Against Tory Lanez
In April, Lanez was taken into custody after a judge ruled that his tweets about Megan violated court orders. The order prohibited him from contacting or mentioning her, which he failed to do. As a result, he was placed under house arrest in October. However, a Los Angeles judge released Lanez from house arrest on Dec. 5 for the sake of “trial preparation.”
Tory Lanez was charged with one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. As well as personal use of a firearm, carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Last week, an additional charge of “discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner to cause bodily injury” was added. It’s been over 2 years since this case began, and as it stands, it’s not clear how it’s going to pan out. Tory Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, could face nearly 23 years in prison if convicted.
Follow MEFeater on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more updates.