By Peter.
Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, legally known as Daystar Peterson, has lost his appeal in the high-profile shooting case involving Megan Thee Stallion. A three-judge panel in California unanimously upheld his 2022 conviction and 10-year prison sentence for the 2020 incident that left the fellow rapper injured.
Peterson, 33, was found guilty of assault with a firearm, discharging a gun with gross negligence, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle following a roadside altercation in Los Angeles after a party at Kylie Jenner’s home.
His appeal centered on two main arguments. First, he claimed his constitutional right to testify was violated because the trial court ruled that prosecutors could use his song lyrics and other prior statements to impeach him if he took the stand—effectively silencing him out of fear.
The appellate court rejected this, noting: “Neither Peterson nor his counsel ever told the court that Peterson wished to testify but was deterred by the prospect of impeachment.” The judges emphasized that no formal objection or declaration was made on the record to support this claim.
Second, Peterson challenged the admission of a recorded police interview with Megan’s former friend, Kelsey Harris. In the recording, Harris identified Peterson as the shooter. However, during the trial—after being granted immunity—she repeatedly claimed memory loss about the night’s events.
The appeals panel upheld the trial judge’s decision to allow the recording as a “prior inconsistent statement,” ruling that when a witness’s claimed amnesia appears evasive or false, earlier statements can be admitted for the jury to evaluate credibility.
“When a trial court concludes, on substantial evidence, that a witness’s professed lapses of memory are false, evasive devices to avoid truthful answers, it may admit as ‘inconsistent’ the witness’s prior statements,” the 46-page opinion stated.
The court found no prejudicial errors, no ineffective assistance of counsel, and no cumulative issues warranting reversal. “We affirm Peterson’s conviction,” the justices concluded.
Peterson is currently serving his 10-year sentence in a California state prison.
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