Rapper and singer Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week by a Los Angeles judge over the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
In court, ahead of his sentencing, Lanez issued a statement to the judge, showing remorse.
His statement was interpreted by many as an admission of guilt. However, in a recent statement shared to his Instagram account, he clarified his remarks, refusing to apologize for a crime he says he did not commit.
“I have never let a hard time intimidate me,” Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, wrote. “I will never never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and I always will. I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do.”
Lanez was found guilty of all three felony charges against him: assault with a semi-automatic firearm, having a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence in December 2022.
Prosecutors sought a 13-year sentence and noted three violations of pre-trial court orders, informing the judge that Peterson had “waged a campaign to humiliate and re-traumatize [Megan].” Lanez’s attorneys requested just three years in prison or probation and mandatory rehab.
Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, shared an emotional statement with the court, urging them to deliver her justice for the suffering she has faced since that fateful night.
“He not only shot me, he made a mockery of my trauma. This is a statement for all survivors that their lives matter and there is zero tolerance for the torture that accompanies violence,” her statement reads in part.
During the sentencing hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford said it was “difficult to reconcile” the warm, generous person father many described in their letters of support with the person who fired a gun five times at the Houston rapper.
“Actions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case,” the judge said.
