Tory Lanez maintains innocence: Rapper's lawyers push for probation instead of prison sentence

The Canadian rapper Tory Lanez is about to be sentenced for shooting at and wounding Megan Thee Stallion over two years ago. The prosecution and defense submitted extremely contrasting sentence memorandums to the court on August 7, 2023.

Tory's lawyers asked the judge for leniency and requested that the rapper serve probation and enter rehab for substance abuse and childhood trauma. The prosecution on the other hand pushed for a strict long-term sentence for 13 years, as per BBC.

Earlier this year, on December 23, 2023, a jury convicted Tory Lanez on charges of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, negligent discharge of a firearm, and possession of a concealed and unregistered firearm.

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Tory Lanez to appear in court on August 7 in Megan Thee Stallion case

Daystar Peterson aka Tory Lanez will appear in court on August 7 for his sentencing after a jury found him guilty of shooting at Megan Thee Stallion. This comes after Tory reportedly shot Megan in her feet after leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenner's house on July 12, 2020.

After his conviction, Tory's legal team asked Los Angeles Superior Court for a second trial but the appeal was denied by Judge David Harriford. The rapper pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and maintains his innocence to this day. He believed that "the truth will come out," on the day of his trial, according to ET.

After the Say It rapper's conviction and a 12-person jury found him guilty of all charges, the courtroom filled with chaos as Tory Lanez's father began shouting at the prosecutors as they exited the premises. He yelled, "You two are evil, wicked."

The defense lawyers told the court that the evidence shown during the trial was "questionable at best and by no means overwhelming."

"Assuming the allegations are true, Mr. Peterson’s psychological, physical, and childhood trauma was a factor in the commission of the offense," they added.

Tori's father, Sonstar Peterson broke down while he spoke in court on Monday about the emotional trauma his son went through after losing his mother, Luella at the age of 11.

The defense also talked about Lanez's alcohol-use disorder, which was diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist as they asked for probation instead of a prison sentence. In addition to probation, they asked that the rapper enter a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse. According to BBC, they argued that according to California Law, the court can make exceptions in unusual cases. They mentioned that Lanez's case "is an unusual case in which the interests of justice would best be served if Mr. Peterson is granted probation."

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Prosecutor's arguments during the sentencing

In the sentencing memo submitted to the court, the prosecution asked for the rapper to be sentenced to 13 years in jail. They argued that Tory Lanez's "lack of remorse and responsibility" and "campaign of misinformation" justify the long-term sentence.

According to MSN, prosecutors also pointed out that the misinformation caused the rapper's legion of fans to troll and bully Megan The Stallion, thereby "re-traumatizing her."

Megan previously accused Tory of "false reporting" by "fabricating emails from her label." The emails in question suggested that the Sweetest Pie rapper was framing Tory with fake allegations. ET News reported that due to this, Megan suffered intense criticism online.

Megan The Stallion later appeared on Rolling Stone and said:

"I think it’s so crazy that people are able to get online or publish anything that is not a 100 percent fact. That really is messing with my life. How are you able to do it and get away with it."

All this factored into the prosecutor's decision to ask for a maximum sentence for Tory Lanez.