Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years for Megan Thee Stallion shooting
Rapper Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court for assaulting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion.
Last December, Lanez was found guilty of shooting Megan in the foot in July 2020 as they left a party at the home of celebrity Kylie Jenner.
At his conviction, the defendant was found guilty of all three charges prosecutors had brought against him: assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm and negligent discharge of a gun for shooting the plaintiff.
Lanez spoke for several minutes at Tuesday's sentencing. He described the plaintiff as his friend — "someone I still care for dearly to this day" — regardless of her feelings about him. He talked about bonding with her over the loss of their mothers.
Megan did not appear in court for the sentencing, but issued a written statement, saying: "For once, the defendant must be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice."
When the shooting occurred, Megan and Lanez left the party along with a friend of hers and his bodyguard. The artists got into an argument in the car. He began shooting at her feet when she got out of the vehicle. She was hospitalized and underwent surgery.
Prosecutors had sought a hefty sentence for the rapper. After the shooting, they said Lanez launched "a campaign to humiliate and re-traumatize the victim" and "weaponized misinformation" on social media to turn public opinion against Megan.
Lanez's lawyers, meanwhile, were hoping for rehabilitation over prison time. Judge David Herriford heard discussions about the rapper's struggles with alcohol, his childhood trauma and mental health, as well as statements and letters written supporting the defendant.
There has been less coverage of this case in the media than other similarly high-profile trials involving male and female celebrities in recent times, perhaps most notably the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case.
But this one struck a chord with many people because of the negativity Lanez's fans and fellow artists directed against Megan. For example, Drake, in one of his songs, implied that Megan lied about being shot.
District Attorney Alex Bott described the shooting in court Tuesday as "an act of misogyny towards Megan."
Many cultural critics agree.
Gabby Bulgarelli, senior producer of NPR's hip-hop podcast Louder Than a Riot, followed this case for months.
"Being a woman going up against this male-dominated industry, Megan is really fighting an uphill battle," Bulgarelli said in an interview for NPR's It's Been A Minute. "Hip hop was born out of a need to speak truth. But in a lot of ways, people who do that are vilified and, and further disenfranchised."
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Megan told police that she had stepped on broken glass. During her testimony at Lanez's trial last December, she said she was so afraid of the police and Lanez that she couldn't immediately tell the truth. "I don't feel safe in the car. I don't feel safe with the police," she said through tears.
She also testified that Lanez had offered her and her friend, who was in the car the day the shooting occurred, $1 million each to keep quiet about the incident.
On an album released two months after the shooting, Lanez included lyrics denying that he had shot her and asserting that he had been framed.
The maximum sentence for the crimes Lanez was convicted of is 22 years and eight months in prison. However, due to a recently passed California law meant to measure criminal justice reform, courts are now required to impose the middle length of a possible prison term unless there are aggravating circumstances.
Judge Herriford had previously denied Lanez's request for a retrial. The Canadian citizen also potentially faces deportation from the United States after he serves his sentence.
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Transcript
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Rapper and producer Tory Lanez was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for shooting and injuring fellow hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion. The assault occurred in July 2020 after a party in Los Angeles. Joining me now is NPR culture correspondent Chloe Veltman. Hey there, Chloe.
CHLOE VELTMAN, BYLINE: Hey there, Mary Louise.
KELLY: OK, so what happened today in court?
VELTMAN: Well, Tory Lanez was sentenced this afternoon in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He'd been found guilty back in December of three felonies resulting from shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. Now, those three felonies are assault with a semiautomatic firearm; possessing a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and, lastly, discharging a firearm with gross negligence. And the producers (ph) wanted a hefty prison term because, in addition to the shooting, they argued Tory Lanez and his fans launched a hate campaign against Megan Thee Stallion on social media and in songs, calling her a liar and other things and so on, and the prosecutor said all of the disinformation retraumatized the victim.
Judge David Herriford also heard from Tory Lanez's defense today. They were hoping for rehabilitation over prison time, and there were discussions about the rapper's struggles with alcohol, his childhood trauma and his mental health.
KELLY: And stay in that courtroom for a minute, Chloe. Was Tory Lanez there himself? Did he - did we see a reaction?
VELTMAN: Yeah. So Tory Lanez did speak for several minutes in the courtroom. And he called Megan Thee Stallion his friend, and he said he still cares about her regardless of her opinion of him. Megan Thee Stallion was not in the court for the sentencing, but she did issue a written statement in which she said, quote, "for once, the defendant must be forced to face the full consequences of his heinous actions and face justice."
KELLY: You know, for people listening who maybe haven't followed every twist and turn of this, would you just step back for a second and reflect on why this outcome, why this sentence is significant?
VELTMAN: Yeah, I'd be happy to. So there has overall been less coverage of this case in the media than other similarly high-profile trials involving male and female celebrities in recent times, perhaps most notably the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard case. But this one is important, Mary Louise, because of the negativity that's been spun around it against Megan Thee Stallion, chiefly by Tory Lanez's fans and fellow artists. Drake, in one of his songs, implied that Megan Thee Stallion lied about being shot.
In court today, DA Alex Bott said the shooting was, quote, "an act of misogyny towards Megan," and cultural critics agree. Gabby Bulgarelli, senior producer of NPR's hip-hop podcast, Louder Than A Riot, has been following this case for months. And in an interview she did on NPR's It's Been A Minute, she said Megan Thee Stallion is fighting an uphill battle against the male-dominated hip-hop industry and noted the paradox at the heart of this case.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
GABBY BULGARELLI: Hip-hop was born out of a need to speak truth. But in a lot of ways, people who do that are vilified and further disenfranchised.
VELTMAN: Yeah. And Bulgarelli wondered if Megan Thee Stallion's treatment by men in the industry might put other women off coming forward with cases of abuse. But obviously, today's sentencing might now be seen as a note of encouragement.
KELLY: And just quickly, does Lanez face possible additional penalties beyond this prison sentence?
VELTMAN: Yeah, maybe. Tory Lanez is a Canadian citizen, though he spent most of his career here in the United States, so he could face deportation after he serves his sentence.
KELLY: All righty (ph). Thank you for catching us up, Chloe.
VELTMAN: You're welcome, Mary Louise.
KELLY: That is NPR culture correspondent Chloe Veltman.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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