Tory Lanez appeared in an LA courtroom Monday after his attorneys filed a motion for a new trial in the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
Lanez, who was convicted on December 23, 2022, of shooting and injuring the hip-hop star, was initially set to be sentenced in January, but the sentencing has been delayed several times after he obtained new attorneys.
Lanez’s current attorneys, Jose Baez and Matthew Barhoma, filed a motion for a new trial in March, arguing in part that certain evidence presented at trial and some statements made by witnesses on the stand were prejudicial to their client, including an Instagram post and a photo of Lanez’s gun tattoo. The motion, which was obtained by ABC News, also takes issue with the forensic testing and claims that Lanez’s right to counsel of his choice was violated.
The rapper’s defense team said in court on Monday it plans to file a supplemental response to the motion on May 1, which has further delayed his sentencing.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting this case, filed a motion on April 6 asking the judge to deny the defense’s request for a new trial.
In the motion, which was also obtained by ABC News, prosecutors argued the defense’s argument for a new trial “lacks substance.”
The judge on Monday set a hearing for May 8, with the expectation that the sentencing will happen within 30 days of that hearing if the motion for a new trial is denied.
Lanez was found guilty by a jury of three charges for shooting and injuring Megan, born Megan Pete, in both feet in an incident in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020. Lanez is facing up to 22 years and eight months in prison.
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