The long-awaited trial of rapper Tory Lanez, accused of causing a stir by allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion, finally reached its climax this week as jurors began their deliberations today (December 22nd).
After nine days of gripping testimony and heated debate, the fate of Tory Lanez now rests in the hands of the jury.
Emotions ran high during the trial after Megan Thee Stallion took the stand to recount the traumatic incident that changed her life forever after a drunken party at Kylie Jenner’s house in the Hollywood Hills in July of 2020.
The 27-year-old hip-hop star, who has faced intense backlash since identifying Tory as her shooter, became emotional as she spoke about the impact of the shooting on her life.
‘I can’t even be happy,’ she said tearfully. ‘I wish he would have shot and killed me if I knew I had to go through this torture.’
Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony was filled with drama as she reaffirmed her allegations against Tory, insisting that she saw him with a gun in his hand as he shot her feet in July 2020.
Meg described an argument that had erupted after leaving a pool party, during which Tory allegedly tried to instigate issues between Megan and her friend Kelsey Harris, who had a crush on him.
Tory Lanez reportedly brought up a sexual relationship he had had with Megan, which Kelsey didn’t know about. Megan requested to leave the car, but soon after, reentered the vehicle.
However, the argument intensified again, leading Megan Thee Stallion to leave the car again. As she walked away, she claims to have heard Tory Lanez shout, ‘Dance b####!’
Megan Thee Stallion’s former friend Kelsey Harris took the stand on Wednesday (December 14th).
Kelsey was hesitant to testify and even considered invoking her Fifth Amendment right before prosecutors granted her immunity. Her denials were mixed with admissions that supported key details presented by Deputy DA Kathy Ta, such as Tory’s alleged offer of $1 million.
Tory Lanez’s lawyer claimed the shots were actually fired by Megan’s then-best-friend Kelsey, who was allegedly jealous of the Houston rapper’s relationship with the Canadian rapper.
At one point, Kathy Ta confronted Kelsey about the defense’s accusation, to which she responded with disbelief, stating, ‘It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous.’
Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty to the numerous charges brought against him concerning the alleged shooting.
Tory, who did not testify, supposedly tried to stop the shooting and protect Megan. Unfortunately, according to the rapper’s defense, Megan created a more sympathetic narrative by blaming him for the incident.
Another witness named Sean Kelly testified in court that he saw the entire altercation from his bedroom window. He described waking up to “two women violently fighting by the car,” and seeing a muzzle flash, which he believes came from one of the women.
Kelly stated that the fight between the unidentified women “was quite violent,” and that he saw the muzzle flash “about the same time that the smallest individual got out of the car,” adding that the small person “got out about that time, all shouting.”
Kelly also testified that he saw “more flashes” after the small person got out of the car, but that he never heard anyone say “Dance, b####,” which is what Megan Thee Stallion testified Tory Lanez said before he allegedly opened fire.
All eyes are on the jury as they weigh the evidence and determine the fate of Tory Lanez.
Today the jurors in the case sent a notification to the court, expressing their desire to have Sean Kelly’s full testimony read back to them by the prosecution and defense.
(1 of 2): At 3:50 p.m. the jurors in the case of People v. Daystar Peterson asked the court for “a better definition of the word ‘willfully’ and ‘on purpose’.”
— LA Superior Court (@LASuperiorCourt) December 23, 2022
After much contemplation (and perhaps a few heated debates), the jurors decided to take a timeout until tomorrow awaiting a written response from the court as well as some much-needed clarification on the meaning of “willfully” and “on purpose.”
The jurors adjourned for the day at 4 p.m., but will be back bright and early at 9 a.m. tomorrow to continue their discussions.
If found guilty, Tory Lanez could be sentenced to a maximum of 22 years in prison – a devastating blow to his career and freedom.
On Twitter, the term “not guilty” started trending after the first day of deliberation came to an end and fans were divided. Take a look at some of the chatter:
It’s funny to me how Black men only support the justice system when it’s working to protect a violent Black man from facing actual justice. All of a sudden they understand verdicts and the system is getting it right. But only if they get the “not guilty”. Then they trust it.
— TC ✊🏾🏳️🌈 (@tc_nash) December 23, 2022
N##### said “ just cause he was found not guilty dont mean he aint do it “ the shorty that was there even said he aint do it 😅🙃 i love Women but dammnn take ownership
— S-Dot ♎️ (@suavelax) December 23, 2022
…… not guilty does not mean innocent. you could have still committed a crime & been found not guilty due to insufficient evidence. Courts never declare someone “innocent”
— Ldizzle 💋 (@Ldizzle115) December 23, 2022
tory lanez not guilty🤷🏽♀️ whole trial was a damn mess.. kelsey had memory loss, megan don’t know if she slept wit him or not, tory the only story that made sense since the beginning
— britt (@badgalbrit) December 23, 2022
even if Tory Lanez is found not guilty, Megan still got shot at the end of the day like ??? wake up ppl
— Des (@xxdestinynx) December 23, 2022