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Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion will finally have their day in court two years after a reckless shooting triggered a series of unfortunate events in both of their lives.
On Monday, December 12, the trial over the felony assault charges against Lanez will officially begin in Los Angeles. The trial was supposed to start back in September but was delayed after the defendant, born Daystar Peterson, requested more time since his lawyer was busy with other case. Now that the jury is finalized, the prosecution and the defense will make opening statements this week. Tory Lanez also made an opening statement of his own on Twitter ahead of the trial.
A lot has happened since the shooting occurred outside of a party in Hollywood Hills. Both artists have put out projects in which they open up about the incident. While Megan has relived the traumatic event over and over again in interviews, on social media and even in other people's songs, Lanez has found himself falling deeper into legal jeopardy. He was handcuffed earlier this year after he violated the terms of his court-ordered protective order that barred him from being near Meg, and placed on house arrest following his violent run-in with August Alsina.
In case you've been out of the loop on the case, here's everything you need to know before the trial gets under way.
What are the charges?
Tory Lanez was arrested on July 12, 2020 for carrying a concealed firearm in his vehicle. He was officially charged a few months later with felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm after Megan publicly accused him as the man who allegedly shot her in the feet. The rapper had only faced those two charges until earlier this month when prosecutors charged him with a third offense, negligent discharge of a firearm. Tory Lanez pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
What can we expect during the trial?
Now that jury has been selected and the trial is under way, we'll finally find out exactly what happened that night. The trial is set to last for up to 10 days. Megan is expected to testify along with Kelsey Nicole Harris, who was recently subpoenaed for a previous hearing. We may also hear testimony from Kylie Jenner and her mother's boyfriend Corey Gamble, who were included in the witness list for the defense. It's possible that Tory Lanez will also take the witness stand to offer his own testimony but it's not guaranteed.
What could happen at the end of the trial?
The result of this trial will determine if Lanez is legally at fault for the injuries Megan sustained that night. If convicted, he could face up to 22 years and eight months in prison. The latest offense he was just charged, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, with carries a penalty of six years in prison. However, since Lanez waived his right ta jury trial on that charge, the judge will make his ruling separately. If convicted, the time from the new charge won't effect his overall sentencing. He'll have to serve that time concurrently.