Tory Lanez decides not to testify in his defense on eighth day of Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tory Lanez, who allegedly shot his former lover and hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020, said that he will not testify in his defense on the eighth day of his trial. The Canadian rapper, 30, decided not to take the stand after consulting his lawyer even though judge David Herriford reminded him that he had a right to testify on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. Lanez was dressed in a blue-green jacket, black pants, and a black turtleneck sweater as he arrived at the criminal court in downtown Los Angeles.
The rapper's shocking decision comes amid allegations that he offered Megan Thee Stallion $1 million not to report the incident as closing arguments are set to start on December 22, 2022. Lanez has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges of assaulting Megan with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a concealed gun in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, could spend up to 18 years in prison if convicted of all three felonies, plus possible deportation from the United States.
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The jury consisting of five men and seven women heard Megan speak last week that she and Lanez had attended a pool party at Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home on July 12, 2020. She said the two were in his SUV with Megan's former assistant and best friend Kelsey Harris when an argument erupted and she asked the driver to pull over. Lanez allegedly shouted, "Dance b***", and fired several shots at Megan when she said she got out of the car.
Jenner, 25, who was previously named as a possible witness in the case is no longer expected to testify. As per reports, Lanez, who is free on $350,000 bail, later apologized to Megan, saying he was drunk at the time of the shooting. His defense team, however, debunked the allegations and instead claimed that it wasn't Lanez but Harris who fired the gun in a fit of jealousy and anger at Megan when she came to know the rapper had "backstabbed" her by sleeping with Lanez, whom Kelsey had a crush on.
Eyewitness Sean Kelly gave a surprising testimony on Tuesday, where he said that he saw Meghan getting punched and kicked by Lanez, Harris, and Lanez's driver as she lay on the ground wounded from gunshots. "It appeared to me that they were trying to kill her," said Kelly, whose home in the Hollywood Hills, overlooks the spot where the shooting happened in July 2020. "He was going crazy. He was really agitated," he added, according to Daily Mail. He also told the court that Lanez was screaming "a torrent of abuse" at Megan.
Always go back to the beginning… Thanks to social media we see things in real time bc of clout chasers…Tory Lanez defense says Kelsey Harris — Megan Thee Stallion’s BFF pulled the trigger? Pay attention to Kelsey’s behavior while surrounded by LAPD — on the ground & in the air? pic.twitter.com/5ejNmXOIoy
— HarrietEve9 (@HarrietEve9) December 13, 2022
As a defense witness, Kelly's hour on the stand was often contradictory, based on whether it was the prosecution or defense asking the questions. His testimony ranged from "He (Lanez) was firing everywhere, four or five times," to "I believe the girl (Kelsey Harris) fired the first shot."
Kelly alleged that he was suddenly woken up at about 4.30 am by the sound of shouting and loud voices in the driveway outside his home on the day of the incident. He got out on the balcony of his second-floor bedroom to investigate and saw two girls fighting outside a car. "They were pulling hair and hitting each other. It was quite violent," he said.
Kelly told the court that he saw the driver walk out of the car and then tried to separate the two women. "Then I heard what I though was fireworks…..I saw a muzzle flash about the same time the smaller gentleman (Lanez who is 5ft 3in) got out off the car," he added.
He said the first muzzle flash was "near the girls" but when defense attorney George Mgdesyan asked him, "Who had the gun?" Kelly said, "I never saw a gun. I just saw flashes." "Where did you see the flashes come from?" asked the lawyer. "The girl (Harris)," said Kelly.
"Did you at any point hear anyone say, 'Dance b***h'?" Kelly was asked, answering "No." Mgdesyan asked Kelly several times, "After you saw the female shoot, did you see the smaller man appear to try to take the gun from her." Kelly said, after the shooting, he saw Megan "crawling and stumbling" into the nearby driveway, and "the three of them (Lanez, Harris, and Lanez's driver) were beating her. She was curled up on the ground in a fetal position. They were all beating her, punching and kicking her…. It appeared to me that they were trying to kill her."
He continued that when Lanez's driver saw the police were on the way, "They picked her up and looked like they were going to throw her in the (nearby creek). They dragged her across the street, put her in the car, and took off." Kelly said, "I saw the muzzle flash when the smaller gentleman (Lanez) got out of the car", under cross-examination by Deputy District Attorney Alex Bott. "He was firing everywhere – four or five shots. The short guy came out of the car and then shot the girl. She was kicking all the time. She fell into the middle of the road." He added, "He was going crazy. He was really agitated."