Tory Lanez is once again asserting his innocence as his legal team prepares a new appellate challenge aimed at overturning his conviction in the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
In his first on-camera interview since being incarcerated, Lanez—whose legal name is Daystar Peterson—spoke with NBC News from California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. The rapper is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence after a Los Angeles jury found him guilty in 2022 of shooting Megan Thee Stallion following a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home.
“I believe I was wrongfully convicted,” Lanez said during the interview, describing what his attorneys say is newly discovered evidence as “overwhelming.” He emphasized that his latest legal push is not about attacking Megan personally. “This is not about attacking her,” he said. “I want someone to look at the evidence and ask if this was fair.”
At trial, Megan testified that Lanez shot her in the foot as they exited a vehicle in July 2020. She later underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments, according to her testimony and medical witnesses. Lanez has consistently denied firing the weapon and has maintained his innocence since the incident became public.
Last month, California’s Second District Court of Appeal upheld the conviction, finding no ineffective assistance of counsel or reversible trial errors. Despite that ruling, Lanez’s attorneys are now preparing to petition the California Supreme Court while also pursuing claims of a Brady violation—an allegation that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence favorable to the defense.
According to Lanez’s attorney, Crystal Morgan, questions resurfaced during Megan’s recent civil defamation lawsuit against blogger Milagro Cooper. Cooper’s attorney reviewed Megan’s medical records during discovery and allegedly identified a document the defense claims it never received during the criminal trial.
NBC News reviewed a document described as a Cedars-Sinai pathology report dated July 14, 2020. The report references a “foreign body” collected by hospital security but does not specify whether the object was a bullet fragment. Morgan argues that the lack of disclosure prevented the defense from exploring alternative theories at trial.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the matter, and Megan’s attorney has not publicly responded.
Legal analyst Misty Marris cautioned that Brady claims are difficult to win. “Defendants must show that the undisclosed evidence would have changed the outcome of the case,” she explained. “That’s a very high bar.”
Lanez has also submitted a request for clemency or a pardon to California Governor Gavin Newsom. While Megan has spoken openly about the toll the incident and trial took on her mental health, Lanez said prison has also been traumatic for him. “I’ve struggled mentally,” he said.
As his legal team prepares the next phase of appeals, the case remains one of the most closely watched and divisive legal battles in modern hip-hop history.
