Tory Lanez’s uncle and attorney pushed back on his 2022 conviction after a key appeal hearing and hinted at more legal moves ahead.
Tory Lanez wasn’t in the courtroom for his latest appeal hearing on Tuesday (August 18) in Los Angeles, but his legal team and family made sure his voice was heard outside.
Attorney Crystal Morgan and Lanez’s uncle Speedy addressed reporters following oral arguments at the California Second District Court of Appeal, expressing optimism about the rapper’s chances of overturning his 2022 conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
“We knew the case. We presented the evidence. The justices really listened to us. They were really focused in. They took notes… It was just a matter of going and getting it done today,” Morgan told reporters, describing the panel’s engagement during the hearing.
Morgan argued that the trial was flawed, pointing to what she called improper use of emotional testimony and closing arguments that may have swayed the jury unfairly.
She added, “Convictions don’t always equal justice,” and claimed her client had been “hoodwinked” by the District Attorney’s office.
Outside the courthouse, Lanez’s uncle Speedy painted the Canadian artist as as a “problem solver” who chose to stay quiet.
“The best way to solve s### in Hollywood and everywhere else is just to shut the f### up and be quiet… He could’ve opened his mouth from the gate and said, ‘I didn’t do this s###.’ That’s what it was, the witness, everything,” Speedy said.
He also suggested the incident could have been resolved privately, saying Lanez and others “could have handled it themselves” without law enforcement stepping in.
Speedy echoed a theory floated by the defense that pointed the finger at Kelsey Harris, Megan’s former friend, suggesting she was the one who fired the gun following a drunken dispute involving Lanez.
“He got the short end of the stick,” Speedy said, insisting his nephew has a “big” heart and was unfairly treated throughout the case.
Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, is currently serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted in 2022 for shooting Megan Thee Stallion during a July 2020 altercation in Hollywood Hills.
His legal team is seeking to overturn the conviction, arguing that the trial judge made key errors that prejudiced the jury.