Tory Lanez’s request for a new trial in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case was denied by a judge, according to freelance reporter Meghann Cuniff. Judge David Herriford ruled from the bench that Tory’s argument that the original case was full of errors was specious at best, saying that even if such errors existed, they’d have “no material effect on the outcome of the trial.”
Tory Lanez WILL NOT get a new trial for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. This is according to Judge David Herriford, who ruled from the bench a few minutes ago.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
Herriford went through the seven main arguments from Lanez's lawyers and dismantled each one. He concluded there were no errors. But he also said even if he concluded each error existed, the errors didn't have a material affect on the outcome of the trial to warrant a new trial.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
Of course, Tory’s lawyers refused to accept that decision, and in what Cuniff calls an unusual (“jaw-dropping”) move, filed a motion to have Herriford disqualified from the case. The purpose of the bid was to forestall his ruling that no new trial was warranted, with Tory’s lawyers arguing that the decision couldn’t be issued until the motion was resolved. Talk about your sour grapes.
In truth, the biggest mistakes made during the trial appeared to be on the part of Tory’s defense. A star witness for the defense apparently confirmed that Tory not only held the gun that shot Megan Thee Stallion in the feet but that he fired it in what looked like a fit of pique — exactly as Megan herself recounted the incident in her own testimony. Tory’s lawyers even pushed back his hearing for a new trial last month so they’d have more time to argue their motion for a new trial and yet… here we are.
Tory was found guilty of all three of the original charges of assault with a firearm, concealing a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence, although he did avoid a witness tampering charge altogether for allegedly offering Megan and her friend $1 million to change their respective stories. Tory will be sentenced at a future date.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. .
