Tori Lanez was released from house arrest under a judge’s order to prepare for trial in the 2020 shooting death of Megan Thee Stallion.
The rapper (real name Daystar Peterson) is accused of shooting Megan Peet in the leg during a drunken brawl after a pool party at reality star Kylie Jenner’s California home in July of that year.
Peterson denied the assault charge. The songwriter was released from house arrest yesterday (December 5) as jury duty began following allegations he assaulted musician August Alsina in Chicago in September.
The rapper denied assaulting Alsina (via AllHipHop).
Rolling Stone Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford reports that prosecutors strongly objected to the decision.
Deputy District Attorney Cathy Ta objected, noting that Peterson had allegedly tried to “shake down” or “intimidate” witnesses in the case before. He said that once the testimony begins and everyone is in the same jurisdiction, the witness’s “anxiety increases” and “fear” can “be with him.”
Jude Herriford said: “I’m going to end house arrest at this point. The main reason is that there will be no access to the client during probation. I’m doing it mainly to prepare for the trial.”
Herriford also denied Tan’s request that Peterson at least turn on the ankle monitor.
The 10-day trial has begun, with opening statements beginning next Monday (December 12).
In court yesterday, defense attorney George G. Mgdesian said his client, Megan, told authorities Peterson never tried to bribe or intimidate her after the shooting, despite apologizing, offering her money and pleading with her to keep quiet after the shooting because she is said to be on probation. . at the time.
“He said my client told him to lie and offered him money because he passed probation and didn’t want to be arrested. My client has never been on probation,” said Mgdesyan.
“If he’s required to have an ankle monitor in front of the judges, I think that’s just punishment. It serves no purpose. If he wants to persuade a witness, his whereabouts will be the whole test. This does not mean that he cannot meet that person,” he added.
Lanez denied trying to buy Pete’s silence after the incident.
Megan Thee Stallion said earlier this year Rolling Stone Another woman who was with him at the time of the shooting, his former close friend Kelsey Harris, said after the incident that Peterson offered to invest in her business in exchange for his silence.
Harris was riding in an SUV with Pete and Peterson on the day of the shooting. He appeared at a hearing in September and was ordered to return this month with a subpoena from prosecutors.
During a preliminary hearing in 2021, police detective Pete testified that he heard Peterson yell, “Dance, you bitch,” as he opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun on a residential street in the Hollywood Hills.
Before the shooting, the detective testified, the group got into a verbal argument in the car over Peterson’s claim that Harris was having an affair with Pete behind his back.
Peterson was formally charged in late 2020 with assaulting Pete with a semi-automatic firearm, “inflicting great personal injury” and carrying a concealed, loaded and unregistered firearm in a motor vehicle.
The protective order prohibits Peterson from contacting Peet in person or otherwise.
If convicted at trial, he could face up to 22 years and eight months in prison.
Last month, Megan Thee Stallion responded to a lyric from Drake and 21 Savage’s new collaborative album, Her Loss, that hinted at her being shot.
He posted a series of tweets asking unnamed rappers to stop making references to his shooting and to “stop putting weak-ass conspiracy theories on my name in bars.”
In a separate tweet, he wrote: “Stop using my shots for prestige… Since when is it cool to joke about women’s shots!”