‘It’s the defendant who is on trial, not Megan.’ Jury deliberations begin in Tory Lanez assault case after prosecutors say singer shot ex-lover and rapper Megan Thee Stallion in an angry clash of egos

• Judge David Herriford released the jury of seven women and five men after closing arguments wrapped up just before Thursday afternoon
• Tory Lanez, 30, is facing up to 18 years in prison if convicted of three felony charges including assaulting rapper Megan Thee Stallion with a firearm
• Jurors will need to come to a unanimous decision in order to reach a guilty verdict on any of the charges 

Jury deliberations have begun in the trial of Tory Lanez who faces up to 18 years in prison if found guilty of shooting his former lover and fellow hip hop star, Megan Thee Stallion.

Judge David Herriford sent the panel of seven women and five men to the jury room shortly after the prosecution and defense wrapped up their closing arguments on Thursday afternoon. 

The jury is now set to decide Lanez’s fate and will need to come to a unanimous decision in order to reach a guilty verdict on any of the three charges he’s facing. 

Lanez, who wore a pink suit and white turtleneck sweater, arrived at criminal court in downtown Los Angeles with his five-year-old son Kai, who was seen attending proceedings with his dad earlier in the trial. 

The 30 year-old singer has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges including assaulting Megan with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a concealed gun in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Lanez, who wore a pink suit and white turtleneck sweater, arrived at criminal court in downtown Los Angeles with his five-year-old son Kai, who was seen attending proceedings with his dad earlier in the trial

Megan Thee Stallion shared photos of the injuries she sustained on her foot after Tory Lanez allegedly shot her

He faces up to 18 years in prison if convicted of all three felonies, plus possible deportation from the United States. 

The assault carries a penalty of up to nine years in jail; the firing with gross negligence charge up to three years, and the concealed gun count up to three years.

But if the jury also finds that Lanez caused ‘great bodily injury’ – Megan had three bullet fragments surgically removed from her feet – both felonies carry enhanced penalties that could add up to six years to his sentence on each of the assault and firing with gross negligence charges.

In her testimony last week, Megan, 27, told the jury that the incident took place after she and Lanez had attended a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home on July 12, 2020. 

She said the two were leaving in his SUV with Megan’s assistant and best friend, Kelsey Harris, when an argument erupted and she asked his driver, Jaquan Smith, to pull over. 

Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, said when she got out of the car Lanez allegedly shouted, ‘Dance b***h’, and fired several shots at her, injuring her feet so seriously that she needed surgery.

She also testified that Lanez offered her and Harris a million dollars to keep quiet about the shooting.

Lanez – who is free on $350,000 bail – later apologized to her, saying he was drunk at the time of the shooting.

His defense team has been pushing the theory that it wasn’t Lanez but Harris who fired the gun in a fit of jealousy and anger at Megan when she found out the singer had ‘backstabbed’ her by sleeping with Lanez, whom Kelsey had also been involved with.

Video footage showed the moments after the July 12, 2020 shooting, with Lanez and Thee Stallion, and a third person lying on the ground as authorities arrive

The defense has been pushing the theory that it wasn’t Lanez but Megan’s assistant and friend Kelsey Harris (pictured arriving at court on December 15) who fired the gun in a fit of jealousy and anger at Megan

Lanez’s attorney George Mgdesyan – who has branded Megan a ‘liar,’ accused the prosecution of ‘trying to dirty my client and make him look like a bad guy….a black man hip-hop rapper. 

‘They are asking you to jump to a conclusion, to prosecute a black man. The story fits better if it’s a black man shooting a black woman…..But Kelsey is the one who shot her friend.’ 

Asking why the chief investigator in the case only took Lanez’s DNA and not the other passengers in the car Mgdesyan said: ‘Because he’s the celebrity. He’s Tory Lanez.’ 

‘The prosecution wants you to rely on Megan who lied to you or Kelsey, who took the Fifth.’ 

‘Why would Megan lie?’ Mgdesyan asked earlier.  

‘Megan and Tory are both artists – what’s more newsworthy, you got shot by Kelsey Harris or you got shot by Tory Lanez?’ 

‘Megan has an image – she’s Megan Thee Stallion. Kelsey found out her best friend was cheating with her man and she shot her. How would that look for Megan Thee Stallion?’ 

He also reminded the jury of Sean Kelly’s testimony in which he told the court that he saw Harris break off from fighting Megan and go back toward the SUV before gunfire erupted. 

In her testimony last week, Megan, 27, told the jury of seven women and five men that she and Lanez were leaving a pool party July 12, 2020 at the home of Kylie Jenner when an argument erupted. The two women are pictured together during an Instagram Live the night of the shooting

Megan had initially denied ever being in a romantic relationship with Lanez. The rapper – real name Daystar Peterson -–could spend up to 12 years in prison if convicted. The two are pictured in 2020

Mgdesyan said: ‘The evidence is pretty clear that the gun was in Kelsey’s bag.’ 

Calling the prosecution’s case ‘full of holes,’ he went on: ‘My client did not willfully talk the gun and fire the gun. That’s why his DNA is not on the gun. 

‘There is no evidence that my client shot a firearm.

‘My client was holding Kelsey’s hand to try to stop her from shooting Megan….He was trying to save Megan.’ 

Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta poured scorn on the defense’s position that Kelsey shot Megan in fury because of their romantic rivalry over Lanez. 

Instead she told the jury, Lanez shot Megan in an angry clash of egos over the musical talents of the two rappers. 

‘It’s the defendant who’s on trial, not Megan,’ Ta told the court in her rebuttal to the defense’s closing arguments. 

‘The defendant had a bruised ego because Megan was more successful than him. 

‘She was disrespecting him as a rapper and that pissed him off. How dare she have the audacity to disrespect him, then get out of the car and walk away from him?

‘So he reasserted his dominance.’ 

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