Celebrities lead lifestyles of which the majority of us can only fantasize. While their wealth and influence, allow them to live in luxury, no amount of fame can help someone avoid the justice system when it comes to a serious crime. For instance, according to recent reports, Canadian rapper, Tory Lanez was given a 10-year prison term on Tuesday for shooting hip-hop artist, Megan Thee Stallion more than three years ago.
For a quick recall: Back in 2020, Megan Thee Stallion, a three-time Grammy Award winner, was out with Kylie Jenner and Lanez when her fun night turned sour. She was alleged to have been injured as a result of the incident in which both rappers were involved.
Emotional Stallion confessed to being shot in both feet during an Instagram Live session on July 27, 2020, while narrating the entire shooting incident.
She-Hulk Star Megan Thee Stallion Finally Got Justice
After being accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet three years prior, Tory Lanez reportedly received a 10-year prison sentence.
More than seven months after Lanez was found guilty on three charges, Judge, David Herriford of the Los Angeles County Superior Court delivered the verdict on Tuesday (8 August). The Canadian rapper got 60 days to submit his notice of appeal.
On December 23, a jury found Lanez guilty of assault with a semiautomatic weapon, firing a gun carelessly, and having a loaded, unregistered gun in a moving vehicle, along with claims that he personally used a gun and caused significant bodily harm.
Judge David Herriford reportedly rejected Lanez’s appeal for a new trial more than seven months later, following a change in legal counsel for Lanez.
Megan Thee Stallion, 28, has been in the spotlight ever since she publicly accused Lanez in August 2020. She addressed the shooting allegation further in an opinion piece for The New York Times that was published on October 13, 2020. She wrote:
“Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life. I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place.”
Tory Lanez Pleaded Not Guilty in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case
Rapper Tory Lanez, who became incredibly well-known for his singles Say It and LUV, maintained his innocence throughout the trial but ultimately failed to convince the jury. He had previously alleged that “the truth will come out” while entering a not-guilty plea to the charges.
Lanez was placed under house arrest and prohibited from discussing the case in public after another violation of his bail, in which he is accused of assaulting singer, August Alsina.
More than two months after the encounter, Lanez addressed Megan Thee Stallion’s accusations on his album Daystar, which was released in 2020. On the album’s opening track, Money Over Fallouts, he claimed that Stallion and her team were attempting to frame him.
However, Megan Thee Stallion revealed in a Rolling Stone interview that after the trial was over:
“I want him to go to jail. I want him to go under the jail. I think it’s so crazy that people are able to get online or publish anything that is not a 100 percent fact. That really is messing with my life. How are you able to do it and get away with it?”
The 28-year-old rapper, who is well-known for her empowering lyrics and commanding stage presence, added:
“I’m trying every day to get through it and be good. I feel so bad because I don’t feel like anybody’s taking me seriously, but I don’t want them to see me cry. I don’t want them to know that I feel like this, because I don’t want them to feel like, ‘Oh, I got you. I’m breaking you.’”
With this, the high-profile case that caused controversy in the music industry finally came to an end.
This verdict serves as a sobering reminder that artists are not immune from the consequences of their choices and justice will be served regardless of one’s star power.
Source: Forbes; Rolling Stone
