Tory Lanez’s quest to overturn his conviction in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case has hit a major roadblock. Let’s break it down.
California’s Attorney General’s Office has dismissed Tory Lanez’s claim of having new evidence to prove his innocence in the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
Lanez was banking on a statement from his driver, Jauquan Smith, who said Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris was holding a gun. However, Smith admitted he didn’t see who pulled the trigger.
Deputy Attorney General Michael C. Keller argued that Smith’s statement isn’t new evidence and shouldn’t overturn Lanez’s conviction. Keller detailed that Lanez’s previous lawyer, George Mgdesyan, had already consulted Smith but found him unhelpful.
Keller explained that Smith not seeing the shooter doesn’t contradict Megan’s testimony that Lanez shot her. The case includes DNA evidence and Lanez’s own texts and calls implicating himself.
Lanez has been demanding a new trial on grounds of ‘erroneous admission of evidence’ and ‘prosecutorial misconduct.’
Last year, Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted on three felony counts. He may face deportation to Canada after his sentence.
Before the trial, Harris initially told detectives she saw Lanez shooting at Megan but later claimed she remembered little from that night, using her fifth amendment rights.
Megan confirmed that Harris did not shoot her and implicitly pointed to Lanez as the person responsible, saying the shooter is ‘in jail.’
Lanez’s fight to overturn his sentence faces significant hurdles with no clear end in sight.
