Tory Lanez Says ‘I Was Wrongfully Convicted’ In First Televised Interview From Prison

Tory Lanez spoke from prison in his first televised interview, detailing his latest appeal in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case.

Tory Lanez has broken his silence from behind bars in his first televised interview from prison to further claim his innocence in the 2020 Megan Thee Stallion shooting.

The Canadian rapper, born Daystar Peterson, spoke with NBC News on Dec. 18, where he shared his continued push for freedom after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lanez’s latest appeal effort is linked to Megan’s recent defamation victory against a blogger, in which he claims there may be evidence that was withheld during his 2022 trial.

“I believe not only that I was wrongfully convicted, but the amount of new evidence that has emerged since that trial, I think, has been overwhelming,” Lanez said from the California Men’s Colony, a prison in San Luis Obispo.

After a nearly two-week trial in December 2022, Lanez was found guilty. He chose not to testify, a decision he now acknowledges may have affected the outcome.

“I think if I would have taken the stand, the verdict would have definitely been very different,” he said.

Lanez’s interview comes ahead of new appeals his legal team plans to file, one month after California’s Second District Court of Appeal rejected his previous appeal, finding “no ineffective assistance of counsel or prejudicial trial court error.” In the upcoming appeal to the California Supreme Court, his team argues a Brady violation, which requires prosecutors to disclose material or potentially favorable evidence to the defense.

Lanez is also seeking a pardon or clemency from California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he detailed the trauma he has experienced while serving his time and trying to “keep [his] head above water.”

“I never imagined myself dealing with things that I would have to deal with,” he said. “I’ve been stabbed 17 times, almost lost my life.”

Regarding Megan Thee Stallion, he said he is focused on healing and does not want his remarks to be seen as an attack on the “Savage” rapper, as he believes they should talk “directly.”

“I would like that moment to happen in person,” Lanez said. “We’ve both gone through a lot. There’s this connotation that, like, I share this hatred for her, but I don’t. I’m genuinely past that. I’m at a place of healing in my life. I’m at a place of taking accountability for the things that I did wrong. And when I talk about my case, I don’t want it to be taken as me coming at her. Because it’s not that. I’m just asking for somebody in the system to look at my case and look at the evidence and ask if this was fair.”