Almost four months after being convicted of assault with a semiautomatic handgun, having a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle and gross negligence in discharging his firearm, Tory Lanez is fighting back.
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The disgraced rapper has just filed an appeal to throw out his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, according to reports from TMZ. In his appeal, Tory–legal name Daystar Peterson–claims, among other things, that prosecutors tried to dirty him up with irrelevant evidence.
In legal docs obtained by the outlet, Tory’s lawyer, criminal defense attorney Jose Baez, claims that prosecutors submitted a shirtless photo of Tory with a firearm tattoo on his chest. During the trial, prosecutors said it was merely for identification purposes, but Baez says prosecutors used the photo to underscore to the jury his client had a fondness for weapons. Throughout the appeal, there are numerous other grounds, including Baez’s claim that it was a reversible error for prosecutors to threaten to present Tory’s rap lyrics to the jury.
Baez went on to say that the jury heard an 80-minute interview prosecutors had with Kelsey Harris, Megan’s friend who was in the car the night of the shooting. But, while the audio was devastating to Tory’s case, Kelsey later recanted a lot of what she said in that interview. Peterson’s lawyer also says it was wrong to admit an Instagram post that included a comment from one of Megan’s producers, claiming cops had matched bullets from Tory’s gun to the fragments in Megan’s foot. After filing this appeal, the Baez Law Firm’s Instagram page posted a message from Tory Lanez to the firm’s IG Story on Wednesday.
“I am happy to announce to all of those interested in justice, that today my attorneys Jose Baez and Matthew Barhoma filed my motion for a new trial,” read @baezlawfirm’s Instagram Story note credited to Tory Lanez. “Additionally, due to a scheduling conflict, David Kenner will no longer be a part of my defense team. I would like to thank Mr. Kenner for his hard work and wise counsel. Jose Baez will continue to represent me as first chair and Matthew Barhoma as second chair.”
Tory Lanez is facing 22 years in prison for three felony firearms violations. He is currently scheduled to be sentenced next month.
