Tory Lanez won’t face additional bribery charges in his felony assault trial involving Megan Thee Stallion, who he allegedly shot in the feet in July 2020.
According to Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta motioned to tack two new witness tampering charges onto the rapper’s existing charges during day six of the trial on Monday (December 19).
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Ta cited allegations that Tory offered Megan and her former friend and assistant, Kelsey Harris, a “$1 million bribe” to keep quiet about the shooting. She also cited California Penal Code 136.1, which makes it a crime to attempt to dissuade a witness.
“It’s based on testimony by both the victim and Ms. (Kelsey) Harris” about “statements the defendant made in the car, offering them a million dollars” in hush money, Ta told the Los Angeles court.
When quizzed by Judge David Herriford about why the state waited so long considering Megan made the allegation early in the case, Ta explained she wasn’t sure how Harris was going to testify, but once she did appear to corroborate the claim on the witness stand, they decided to file.
Lanez’s defense lawyer, George Mgdesyan, objected, arguing prosecutors had known what Harris’ testimony likely would be since as early as September, when she vividly recalled witnessing Tory shoot Megan in an interview with prosecutors.
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Judge Herriford sided with the defense and rejected the additional charges, saying the late change would place Lanez’s legal team in a “difficult position” in terms of putting together a proper response.
“I think it’s unfair at this juncture, so I would deny that motion,” the judge said.
Tory Lanez (real name Dayster Peterson) still faces three charges: felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a concealed, unregistered firearm and discharging a firearm with gross negligence, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 22 years and eight months in prison, as well as subsequent deportation to his native Canada.
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Tory has yet to take the stand himself, but the explosive trial has seen testimony from a number of individuals related to the case, including Megan Thee Stallion.
In an emotional court appearance last week, the Houston native recounted the events leading up to Lanez allegedly shooting her five times and telling her to “dance, bitch.”
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Meg admitted she and Tory had been involved in a non-exclusive sexual relationship prior to the incident — contradicting her previous denial about them being intimate — and explained she initially didn’t report the rapper to police for fear that cops might “shoot first and ask questions later.”
The 27-year-old also opened up about her struggle in the wake of the shooting, saying she has “been turned into some kind of villain,” particularly among the “boy’s club” of the rap game.
“This has messed up my whole life,” she told the jury. “I wish he would have just shot and killed me [rather than] have to go through this torture.”
Prosecutors were hoping to strengthen their case by calling Megan’s bodyguard, Justin Edison, to the witness stand last week. Edison was expected to testify that Tory apologized to him for shooting the “Savage” rapper while at his rental house the day after the alleged incident.
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However, the bodyguard didn’t show up to court and remains off the grid. According to TMZ, investigators paid a visit to an L.A. home on Monday in hopes of finding Edison, but were unable to locate him. He has yet to be officially considered a “missing” person, though.
The trial is expected to last until at least the end of the week.
