Rapper Tory Lanez sensationally broke his silence after being sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of shooting dead his then-girlfriend Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
In a post on Instagram, Lanez, 31, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, said he maintains his innocence, adding, “I refuse to apologize for anything I didn’t do.”
“I have never been intimidated by a difficult time. I will never let jail time turn me off. Regardless of how they try to twist my words, I have always maintained my innocence and always will,” Lanez said.
“This week in court I took responsibility for all the verbal and intimate moments I shared with the parties involved…that’s all,” he continued.
“I have not apologized in any way for the allegations I was wrongly convicted of.” “I remain of the opinion that I refuse to apologize for something I didn’t do,” the Canadian rapper continued away.
In his statement, Tory Lanez, 31, maintained his innocence and thanked his supporters
Rapper Torey Lanez refused to apologize for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot in the summer of 2020
Lanez said that he’s “fought adversity my entire life” and that his jail time “will be nothing but another moment of having my back to the wall and refusing to stop fighting until I do.” emerge victorious… In tough times, that’s not the case. “Ultimately, tough people do it,” Lanez wrote online.
He also thanks his family and fans for their “continued support”.
On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Lanez to 10 years in prison for shooting and wounding Megan Thee Stallion after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house in 2020.
Los Angeles Superior Court Justice David Herriford delivered the verdict to Lanez, who was convicted in December of three felonies: assault with a semi-automatic firearm; Carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and grossly negligent firing of a firearm.
From the initial incident in the Hollywood Hills in July 2020 to the two-day sentencing hearing, the case sparked a firestorm in the hip-hop community, raising issues including black victims’ reluctance to speak to police and gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, black women’s protection, and the impact of misogyny, a particular type of misogynistic experience of black women.
Herriford said it was “difficult to reconcile the portrait Lanez’s friends and family drew during the hearing of a kind, charitable individual and good father to a 6-year-old son with the person who fired the gun at Megan .”
“Sometimes good people do bad things,” Herriford said. “Actions have consequences, and in this case there are no winners.”
Megan testified at trial that Lanez fired the gun at the arches of her feet and yelled for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV they were riding in after leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s home.
She required surgery to remove bullet fragments. It wasn’t until months later that she revealed who had fired the gun.
“I haven’t had a single day of peace since I was brutally shot by the defendant,” Megan said in a statement read by a prosecutor in court Monday. “Slowly but surely I’m recovering and coming back, but I’ll never be the same.”
On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Lanez to 10 years in prison for shooting and wounding Megan Thee Stallion after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house in 2020
Megan testified at trial that Lanez fired the gun at the backs of her feet and yelled for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV they were riding in
Lanez asked Herriford for clemency just before the judge announced his verdict, asking for either probation or a minimum prison sentence.
“If I could reverse and change the sequence of events that night,” Lanez continued. “The victim was my friend.” “The victim is someone I still care about to this day.”
He added, “For anything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility.”
Lanez looked stunned when the sentence was read, but gave no audible reaction. His family and fans in the courtroom also remained calm after the verdict.
The rapper has been credited with serving approximately 10 months of his time since his conviction in December, most of which he has spent in prison.
“We are extremely disappointed,” Lanez’s lead attorney Jose Baez said outside the courthouse. “I’ve seen homicides and other cases where deaths have occurred and the defendant has still been sentenced to less than 10 years.”
Baez called the phrase “actually just another example of someone being punished for their celebrity status and someone being used to set an example.” And he’s not a role model. He’s human.’
Lanez’s lawyers plan to appeal the verdict and in the meantime try to get him released on bail.
Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, has been repeatedly praised by prosecutors for her courage in testifying during the trial and enduring online hate campaigns against her.
“I hope that Miss Pete’s bravery gives hope to those who feel helpless,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said of Megan at a news conference after the sentencing.
Prosecutors had requested a 13-year prison sentence. By law, Lanez was entitled to up to 22.
During Monday’s session, Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, choked back tears as he discussed how the rapper’s mother died when he was 11, just days after she first showed symptoms of the rare blood disorder. which would lead to her death.
“I don’t think anyone will ever get over it,” he said of their youngest child, whose official name is Daystar Peterson. “But his music became his outlet.”
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009, enjoying a steady rise in popularity and releasing albums on major labels. His last two hit the top 10 on the Billboard charts.