Photo Credit:eff Kravitz/FilmMagic
A California appellate court has denied rapper Tory Lanez’s bid to overturn his 2022 conviction and the subsequent 10-year prison sentence for the July 2020 shooting of fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion. The ruling leaves Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, with his felony convictions intact and his sentence in force unless further review is granted by a higher court.
Lanez was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts such as assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He was later sentenced in August 2023 to a decade behind bars. In seeking relief, Lanez’s legal team raised a series of challenges to the trial proceedings and evidence.
Defense arguments on appeal included claims that the trial court improperly admitted an Instagram comment attributed to Lanez, that a photograph of Lanez shirtless and displaying tattoos may have unfairly prejudiced jurors, and that certain witness testimony was unreliable. The defense also argued that references during trial could have injected racial bias into jurors’ deliberations.
The appellate panel rejected those claims, finding that the trial judge’s decisions did not amount to reversible error. The court concluded that any disputed evidentiary rulings were either properly made or harmless, meaning they did not materially affect the outcome of the trial. On the issue of witness credibility, the panel determined that the jury was entitled to weigh inconsistencies and that such matters did not warrant overturning the verdict.
With the appeal denied, Lanez’s convictions remain final at the appellate level. His legal team may seek discretionary review from the California Supreme Court, but there is no guarantee that the high court will take up the case. If the matter is not accepted for further review, his sentence will be served as imposed.
The case drew intense public attention from the start, highlighting violence, accountability and the treatment of women in the entertainment industry. Megan Thee Stallion’s accusations sparked widespread discussion across social media and mainstream press and the trial itself was closely followed by fans, peers and advocacy groups.
The appellate decision marks another significant legal milestone in the long-running dispute between the two artists. For now, the denial of Lanez’s appeal affirms the criminal justice outcome reached at trial and underscores the limited circumstances under which appellate courts will overturn jury verdicts and sentences.