Tory Lanez’s request to stay out of prison as he appeals his conviction was denied in criminal court in Los Angeles on Thursday, over a month after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion (real name Megan Pete).
Appearing in court for the decision on Thursday, Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, is currently appealing to overturn his conviction over the shooting. Peterson’s attorneys motioned for a bail release earlier this month as he awaits the appeal decision, as journalist Meghann Cuniff reported.
In a quick hearing, Judge David Herriford denied the bail motion, citing the “violent felony” Peterson was convicted of, Peterson’s “history of violating court orders,” namely the previously instituted protective order, and Peterson’s deportation risk as he is not a United States citizen.
Representing Peterson in court were attorneys Crystal Morgan and Michael Hayden of the nonprofit legal group Unite the People, which is representing him for his appeal. The group’s CEO and director, Caesar McDowell, previously spoke about Peterson’s character during his sentencing hearing, noting that Peterson has donated time and resources to the organization.
Outside the court Thursday morning, McDowell brought up concerns about the initial trial and said Peterson’s conviction and punishment wasn’t fair. “To be convicted for 10 years in state prison for your first time being in prison, we feel that that’s disproportionate, We feel that he wasn’t given a fair shake,” he said.
Given the results of Peterson and his team’s previous efforts to lessen his punishment, getting granted bail was never the most likely outcome. The request came after Peterson was denied probation prior to last month’s sentencing when his attorneys said Peterson suffered from alcohol and drug addiction and should go to rehab instead. Herriford also denied Peterson’s request for a new trial in May.
Peterson was sentenced for the shooting in August, nearly eight months after he was found guilty of first-degree assault with a firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and having a concealed firearm in a vehicle. Ahead of his sentencing, Pete wrote a statement about the hardships she has endured since the shooting.
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“I struggle with being present. After everything that occurred I cannot bring myself back to being in the same room with Tory,” Pete wrote. “He paid bloggers to disseminate false information; he treated my trauma like a joke when I could’ve been dead. He blamed the system, he blamed the press, and as of late he is using his childhood trauma to justify his actions.”
Peterson pleaded for leniency from Herriford prior to the sentencing, noting he needed to be in his son’s life and refuting that the shooting represented who he is as a person.
“I’m standing in front of you as a father to a six-year-old who needs me every step of the way,” Peterson told Judge David Herriford. “There’s been this misconception about me being this monster, not having remorse, that’s just not true,” he said, noting that he couldn’t go into specifics about the evening at the advice of his legal counsel. “That night, everyone was drunk, I said things I shouldn’t have said. The victim was my friend, I still care about her. We both lost mothers, we’d sit there and drink until we felt numb. Everything I did wrong that night I take responsibility for.”
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Never having admitted to the shooting, Peterson wrote a letter to fans days after his sentencing maintaining he was wrongfully convicted and refusing to apologize.
“I have never let a hard time intimidate me. I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will,” Peterson wrote. “This week in court I took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved… that’s it. In no way shape or form was I apologizing for the charges I’m being wrongfully convicted of. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.”
