On July 12, 2020, a jury in Los Angeles found rapper Tory Lanez guilty of all three charges in the shooting death of hip-hop star Megan Jockey in the Hollywood Hills.
“The jury was right. I’m thankful that Meghan was treated fairly,” Meghan Settrien’s attorney, Alex Spiro, told ABC News in a statement after the verdict was announced Friday afternoon. company news.
Chaos reportedly erupted in the courtroom after the verdict was announced, with Lanez’s father yelling at prosecutors, calling them “witches” and “evil,” Los Angeles television station KABC reported.
“You two are evil, evil,” Lanez’s father yelled at prosecutors as the jury left the courtroom, while Lanez’s defense attorneys tried to defuse the situation.
Lanez was later detained.
ABC News reached out to Lanez’s attorney but did not immediately return a request for comment. Sentencing is scheduled for January. According to KABC reports, at 8:30 am local time on the 27th.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon in a statement Acknowledging the “bravery” of Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, and pointing out some of the comments surrounding the case.
“While you should not be subject to repeated and grotesque attacks, your testimony shows incredible courage and vulnerability,” he wrote. “You faced injustice and vileness that no woman should face scrutiny, you have been an inspiration to others in Los Angeles County and across the country.”
The case has sparked intense debate about society’s treatment of women, and Meghan’s account of the incident — and the intense public abuse she faced after sharing her story — has drawn the attention of the Campaign for Black Women, which The movement addresses both fronts of sexism and racism that Black women experience in their own communities and in society at large.
In this December. In this Jan. 13, 2022, file photo, singer Tory Lanez returns for her trial at the Clara Shortridge Fultz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.
Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press, File
“Even as a victim, I was met with suspicion and judgment,” Meghan wrote in a New York Times op-ed published on October 10. January 13, 2020. “If you’re a black woman, there’s not a lot of room for passionate advocacy.”
“Women, especially black women, are afraid to report crimes such as assault and sexual violence because they are often not believed,” Gascohen said in Friday’s statement.
In his 2020 op-ed, Pitt wrote: “It’s ridiculous that some people think the simple phrase ‘protect black women’ is controversial. We as human beings deserve to be protected.”
The jury, including substitutes, was made up of nine women and five men, including four black jurors. They deliberated for seven hours over two days before finding Lanez guilty.
During the two-week trial, jurors heard from multiple witnesses, including Pitt himself. Pete’s former friend Kelsey Harris, one of four people who were present when Pitt was shot, also testified.
Harris initially confirmed details pointing to Lanez as the alleged shooter in a video interview with prosecutors in September, but changed her story on the witness stand last week.
A key piece of evidence presented to the jury was a text message Harris sent to Pete’s then-bodyguard Justin Edison shortly after the incident, which read: “Help the Conservatives shoot Meg 911.”
“I don’t know why I said that to Justin. I didn’t see anything happen,” Harris testified, according to KABC in Los Angeles.
Edison was called to testify in the case, and his father told “GMA” that his father disappeared the day before his scheduled testimony last Friday, but as the jury deliberated, his family announced he had been found.
Witnesses also included police officers responding to the shooting, forensic experts examining the gun for DNA evidence, doctors treating Meghan’s foot injury and neighbors at home who witnessed the shooting. Pitt testified last week that on the night of July 12, 2020, she got out of the car after an altercation with Lanez and as she walked away, she turned I looked over and saw him holding a gun.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, traveled from the Office of Justice to testify at the trial of rapper Tory Lanez in connection with the December 12 shooting death of her. 13, 2022, Los Angeles.
Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“He pointed a gun at me,” she said, claiming he said “dancing b—-” and shot her in the feet, KABC reported.
“I froze … I was shocked,” she said. “I’m not sure if this is happening. … I looked at the ground and I saw blood … everyone was in shock.”
Lanez, a popular rapper whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was originally charged in October 2020 with one count of felony each including assault with a semiautomatic firearm (personal use firearm) and carrying a loaded unregistered firearms. Charges document obtained by ABC News. “Personal use of a firearm” is not a separate charge, but an aggravated sentence related to the first count that could add to Lanez’s likely sentence.
He was charged with a felony count of grossly negligent shooting earlier this month, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to ABC News.
Lanez, who chose not to testify during the trial, has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. His defense lawyers argued during the trial that their client was not the shooter.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.