Tory Lanez won’t testify in his personal protection, the singer informed the courtroom on day eight of his trial for allegedly capturing ex-lover and fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020.
Decide David Herriford on Wednesday reminded Lanez that he had a proper to testify, however the 30-year-old stated he has determined to not take the stand after consulting together with his lawyer.
Lanez appeared on the legal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles wearing a blue-green jacket, black pants and a black turtleneck sweater.
Tory Lanez (pictured arriving at legal courtroom in Downtown LA on Monday) confirmed he won’t testify in his personal protection, on day eight of his trial on Wednesday. He’s charged with capturing fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion throughout an incident in July 2020
Megan Thee Stallion shared pictures of the accidents she sustained on her foot after Tory Lanez allegedly shot her
He has pleaded not responsible to 3 felony fees of assaulting Megan with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a hid gun in a car and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
The Canadian musician – whose actual identify is Daystar Peterson – might spend as much as 18 years in jail if convicted of all three felonies, plus potential deportation from the US.
In her testimony final week, Megan, 27, informed the jury of seven girls and 5 males that she and Lanez had attended a pool social gathering at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills house on July 12, 2020.
She stated the 2 have been in his SUV with Megan’s assistant and greatest good friend, Kelsey Harris, when an argument erupted and she or he requested the driving force to tug over.
Megan, whose actual identify is Megan Pete, stated when she obtained out of the automobile Lanez allegedly shouted, ‘Dance b***h’, and fired a number of photographs at her, injuring her toes so critically that she wanted surgical procedure.
The protection has been pushing the idea that it wasn’t Lanez however Megan’s assistant and good friend Kelsey Harris (pictured arriving at courtroom on December 15) who fired the gun in a match of jealousy and anger at Megan
In her testimony final week, Megan, 27, informed the jury of seven girls and 5 males that she and Lanez have been leaving a pool social gathering July 12, 2020 on the house of Kylie Jenner when an argument erupted. The 2 girls are pictured collectively throughout an Instagram Reside the night time of the capturing
She additionally testified that Lanez supplied her and Harris $1million to maintain quiet concerning the capturing.
Jenner, 25, who was named as a possible witness for the protection, is not anticipated to testify within the case.
Lanez – who’s free on $350,000 bail – later apologized to her, saying he was drunk on the time of the capturing.
In the meantime, his protection crew has been pushing the idea that it wasn’t Lanez however Harris who fired the gun in a match of jealousy and anger at Megan when she discovered the rapper had ‘backstabbed’ her by sleeping with Lanez, whom Kelsey had a crush on.
On Tuesday, eyewitness Sean Kelly gave startling new testimony, telling the jury that he noticed Lanez, Megan’s assistant Kelsey Harris and Lanez driver ‘all beat’ Megan, punching and kicking her as she lay on the bottom wounded from gunshots.
‘It appeared to me that they have been making an attempt to kill her,’ stated Kelly, whose house within the Hollywood Hills, overlooks the spot the place the capturing occurred in July 2020.
He informed the courtroom that Lanez was screaming ‘a torrent of abuse’ at Megan, ‘He was going loopy. He was actually agitated,’ he added.
Kelly’s hour on the stand as a protection witness was usually contradictory, relying on whether or not it was the prosecution or protection asking the questions.
His testimony ranged from ‘He (Lanez) was firing in all places, 4 or 5 instances,’ to ‘I consider the lady (Kelsey Harris) fired the primary shot.’
Kelly informed the jury Tuesday that he was woken up at about 4:30am by the sound of shouting and loud voices within the driveway outdoors his house.
Video footage confirmed the moments after the July 12, 2020 capturing, with Lanez and Thee Stallion, and a 3rd particular person mendacity on the bottom as authorities arrive
Megan had initially denied ever being in a romantic relationship with Lanez. The rapper – actual identify Daystar Peterson -–might spend as much as 12 years in jail if convicted. The 2 are pictured in 2020
He obtained as much as examine, going out on the balcony of his second-floor bed room and two women preventing outdoors a automobile.
‘They have been pulling hair and hitting one another. It was fairly violent,’ he stated.
The ‘taller man’ (Lanez’s driver) obtained out of the automobile and walked round to the ladies to attempt to separate them, Kelly informed the courtroom.
‘Then I heard what I although was fireworks…..I noticed a muzzle flash about the identical time the smaller gentleman (Lanez who’s 5ft 3in) obtained out off the automobile.’
He stated the primary muzzle flash was ‘close to the ladies’ however when protection lawyer George Mgdesyan requested him: ‘Who had the gun?’ Kelly stated: ‘I by no means noticed a gun. I simply noticed flashes.’
‘The place did you see the flashes come from?’ requested the lawyer. ‘The lady (Harris),’ stated Kelly.
Decide David Herriford issued directions to the jury on Wednesday earlier than closing arguments have been as a result of start
‘Did you at any level hear anybody say, ‘Dance b***h’? Kelly was requested, answering ‘No.’
Mgdesyan requested Kelly a number of instances, ‘after you noticed the feminine shoot, did you see the smaller man seem to attempt to take the gun from her.’
Kelly saved declaring that every little thing was occurring very quick, and in a sarcastic reply that brought on titters within the packed courtroom, he stated: ‘It isn’t like he went, ‘Excuse me, can I’ve the gun, it is my flip.”
Pressed by Mgdesyan, he added that he believed the lady (Harris) ‘fired the primary shot….Then I consider he (Lanez) began capturing.’
After the capturing, Kelly stated, he noticed Megan ‘crawling and stumbling’ into the close by driveway and ‘the three of them (Lanez, Harris and Lanez’s driver) have been beating her.
‘She was curled up on the bottom in a fetal place. They have been all beating her, punching and kicking her…. It appeared to me that they have been making an attempt to kill her.’
When Lanez’s driver stated that the police have been on the best way, he went on, ‘They picked her up and regarded like they have been going to thrown her within the (close by creek).
‘They dragged her throughout the road, put her within the automobile and took off.’
Below cross examination by Deputy District Legal professional Alex Bott, Kelly stated: ‘I noticed the muzzle flash when the smaller gentleman (Lanez) obtained out of the automobile.
‘He was firing in all places – 4 or 5 photographs.
‘The brief man got here out of the automobile after which shot the lady. She was kicking on a regular basis. She fell into the center of the highway.’
Kelly informed Bott that after she was shot, she ‘crawled away and rolled right into a ball. And Lanez was screaming a ‘torrent of abuse at her, together with phrases like ‘mom****er, and n****r.
‘He was going loopy. He was actually agitated,’ he added.
Decide Herriford issued directions to the jury Wednesday morning and the closing statements of prosecution and protection groups have been scheduled to begin within the afternoon.
Bott referred to final week’s contradictory courtroom testimony by Megan’s one-time greatest good friend and assistant Kelsey Harris wherein she usually answered questions concerning the capturing with ‘I can’t bear in mind’ or she tried to invoke the Fifth Modification in order that she didn’t must reply.
‘One thing occurred to Kelsey,’ between her courtroom look final week and her interview with the DA final September when she stated that she noticed Lanez firing at Megan and Lanez supplied each girls $1 million to maintain quiet concerning the capturing, Bott informed the jury.
‘One thing spooked her. Somebody obtained to her. Possibly she took a kind of bribes. She has been compromised indirectly,’ he stated. ‘She had courtroom amnesia. Getting her to confess the defendant supplied her a $1 million bribe was like pulling tooth.’
Bott {accused} Lanez of ‘making an attempt to place a lid’ on what occurred throughout the sooting. ‘That’s been their technique from the start – silence the witnesses in opposition to him.’
In accordance with Harris’ interview with the DA final September, stated Bott, ‘She noticed the defendant shoot her greatest good friend and Megan had her bloody toes resting on Kelsey’s lap at the back of the automobile. She was comforting Megan.
And the very first thing Kelsey did was textual content Megan’s safety man “Assist. Tory shot Meg. 911”
‘The protection is asking you to consider that Kelsey shot Megan that night time.
‘Are these the actions of a lady who simply shot Megan…the place she’s framing the defendant inside 5 minutes of the capturing.
‘Would Megan be sitting subsequent to her greatest good friend at the back of the automobile if she had simply shot her?’
He added that the protection ‘can’t defend the proof on this case so they’re resorting to intimidation and manipulation.’
As for Tuesday’s startling witness Sean Kelly – whose house overlooks the spot the place the capturing occurred, Bott stated, ‘He by no means ever stated he noticed a gun in Kelsey’s hand. He simply stated he noticed her close to the muzzle flash.’
Speaking about Kylie Jenner pool social gathering Megan, Kelsey and Lanez have been at earlier than the capturing, Bott requested, ‘Do you actually suppose that Megan or Kelsey introduced a loaded 9mm firearm with them to a pool social gathering? Does that make sense to you.’
Rounding up his closing, Bott informed the jury, ‘It is a case a few man whom shot a lady. Individuals noticed it after which he apologized for it. That’s the case. Maintain the defendant accountable – discover him responsible.’
‘It’s time to search out the defendant accountable for his crimes,’ Deputy District Legal professional Alex Bott informed the jury in the beginning of the prosecution’s closing argument.
He requested jurors to recall Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘susceptible, uncooked and emotional’ testimony in courtroom final week when she recounted how Lanez had yelled ‘Dance b***h‘, then shot at her 5 instances, wounding her toes.
‘Why would she are available right here and lie about what occurred to her? requested Bott, including that since telling her story to authorities, she has suffered ‘fallout’ from the ‘hip-hop boys membership’ and been topic to a ‘stream of hate and negativity on-line.
After she got here out and stated Tory shot her, he went on, ‘each man ready of energy’ within the music enterprise ‘took Tory’s aspect’ and have been ‘giving her hell’ for almost three years.
’Why would she lie – look what it’s achieved to her profession and her life?’ stated Bott.
‘If you happen to consider Megan and what she stated in courtroom ….the case is over. If you happen to consider Megan, that’s sufficient.’
