Under a newly restructured legal team, Tory Lanez filed a motion for a retrial after a jury found him guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, according to Rolling Stone. The rapper’s attorneys, Jose Baez and Matthew Barhoma, filed the paperwork on Wednesday, claiming numerous mistakes surrounding the evidence barred Tory from having a fair trial. Among those is the infamous comment on The Shade Room that shut down rumors that Megan Thee Stallion’s former best friend Kelsey Nicole shot her.
Tory’s team stated that the rapper’s social media handler wrote the comment. Still, prosecutors only introduced it as evidence mid-trial and they claimed the judge should’ve blocked the response into the trial, especially since the defense was that Kelsey fired the gun. “The court erred on numerous questions of law in allowing the People to introduce this post, depriving defendant of a fair trial,” the new motion reads. “The only acceptable remedy for this miscarriage of justice is a new trial.”
Tory Lanez Lyrics & 2Pac Tattoo
In addition to the social media post, Tory Lanez’s legal team, which was previously led by famous attorney David Kenner, accused prosecutors of painting the rapper as a “gun-wielding career criminal.” They argued that the prosecution introduced a shirtless photo of the “Say It” singer where a tattoo of a gun is shown on his chest. However, nine days after his trial, California law (AB 2799) went into effect preventing “creative expression” into evidence as it might create a racial bias. His team argued 2Pac had the same AK-47 tattoo on his chest “as a symbol of Black unity and the fight against racism.”
Between the tattoo and the social media post, his social media team argued that the court “impermissibly chilled” to testify because the judge ruled that rap lyrics and music videos could be introduced under cross-examination, such as the video for “Cap” where Tory cuts horse leg with a cleaver. His team said that Tory Lanez should’ve been able to testify without impeachment evidence because AB 2799 already passed through California legislature.
Tory Restructures Defense Team
Earlier this year, Tory added Kenner, who represented Suge Knight in the 90s, to his legal team. However, Barz and Barhoma will now lead Tory’s bid for a retrial, the rapper said in a statement. “Due to a scheduling conflict, David Kenner will no longer be a part of my defense team. I would like to thank Mr. Kenner for his hard work and wise counsel. Jose Baez will continue to represent me as first chair and Matthew Barhoma as second chair,” he said. Check out his statement above. We’ll keep you up to speed on more updates surrounding Tory’s retrial.
