Tory Lanez is requesting a judge to vacate his 10-year prison sentence following the recent statement made by his bodyguard, Jaquan Smith.
Smith, who did not testify during the trial in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case, has since come forward about the shooting that took place on July 12, 2020. In his testimony filed in support of Lanez’s appeal, he claimed to have seen Kelsey Harris, Megan’s former best friend, holding the gun on the night of the shooting.
Tory Lanez’s Bodyguard Speaks Out
Smith alleges that Harris had a firearm in her hand as he watched her “struggling” with Megan, though he didn’t see who fired the weapon.
In addition to Smith revealing who he saw holding the gun, his testimony also suggested Lanez’s intimate involvement with both Megan and Harris. This caused tension between the two and led to an argument that ultimately escalated into violence.
With this new information, Lanez has appealed to have his sentence dismissed. Currently incarcerated in a California prison, the rapper has also brought in new legal representation to help his case. His lawyers are presenting several arguments to advocate for the reversal of his sentence.
They argue that the court should take into consideration his “childhood trauma” and his status as a non-American citizen facing deportation to Canada.
Meghann Cuniff, per Legal Affairs And Trials, reports that Lanez’s petition and appeal will be scheduled for deliberation with an opening brief set for December 26th.
However, as the Attorney General’s Office requires time to file a brief, they expect the court to take several months to rule on the matter.
Megan Thee Stallion Denies Any Possibility Of Kelsey Shooting Her
Megan Thee Stallion responded to speculation of Harris potentially being the person who shot her after Smith’s testimony was made public.
She hopped on Instagram Live on Wednesday (December 13) and urged people to rely on reliable sources and not fall for misleading headlines on the blogs. Megan also discussed the emotional impact the shooting continues to have on her day-to-day life and that she was doing “the best I can” to move on.
“Tory Lanez is getting denied every time they try and set a motion for a new trial so they trying to pull s**t out the air. I’m not about to keep going with y’all. Y’all defending somebody who didn’t even take the stand and defend their self.”
Megan and Harris ended their friendship soon after the altercation. Initially, this left some fans questioning if she might have been the shooter, which Megan was quick to deny. Smith’s claims that he saw Harris with a gun at some point during the dispute prompted Megan to dismiss any believe that her former best friend shot her.
“Y’all trying to pretend like Kelsey shot me. Kelsey didn’t f***ing shoot me and I really wonder why,” she said. “Her main problem with me was, ‘You won’t tell people I didn’t shoot you.’
“I was like, ‘Kelsey, I don’t want to talk about this on social media at all. But now you won’t even get online and defend yourself, so that really just proves my point.”
The Los Angeles Police Department faced difficulties in finding witnesses for their investigation into the incident. However, if Lanez’s appeal receives approval, the recent testimony from Tory’s bodyguard could potentially reopen the case.
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