A judge sentenced rapper to 10 years in prison Tuesday for hip-hop superstar in the feet, bringing a conclusion to a three-year legal and cultural saga that saw two careers, and lives, thrown into turmoil.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford handed down the sentence to the 31-year-old Lanez, who was : assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
From the initial incident in the Hollywood Hills in July of 2020, to the marathon two-day sentencing hearing, the case created a firestorm in the hip-hop community, churning up issues including , gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, and the ramifications of .
Herriford said it was 鈥渄ifficult to reconcile鈥� the portrait Lanez鈥檚 friends and family painted during the hearing of a kind, charitable person and good father to a 6-year-old son with the person who fired the gun at Megan.
鈥淪ometimes good people do bad things,鈥� Herriford said. 鈥淎ctions have consequences, and there are no winners in this case.鈥�
during the trial that Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding, after leaving a pool party at Kylie Jenner鈥檚 home. She had to have surgery to remove bullet fragments. She revealed who had fired the gun only months later.
鈥淪ince I was viciously shot by the defendant, I have not experienced a single day of peace,鈥� Megan said in a statement read in court by a prosecutor on Monday. 鈥淪lowly but surely, I鈥檓 healing and coming back, but I will never be the same.鈥�
Lanez asked Herriford for mercy just before the judge delivered his sentence, requesting either probation or a minimal prison sentence.
鈥淚f I could turn back the series of events that night and change them,鈥� I would, Lanez continued. 鈥淭he victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day.鈥�
He added, 鈥淓verything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for.鈥�
Lanez appeared stunned while the sentence was read, but had no audible reaction. His family and fans in the courtroom also remained quiet after the sentence.
The rapper was given about 10 months of credit for time he鈥檚 served, most of it spent in jail since his conviction in December.
鈥淲e鈥檙e extremely disappointed,鈥� Lanez鈥檚 lead attorney Jose Baez said outside the courthouse. 鈥淚 have seen vehicular homicide and other cases where there鈥檚 death, and the defendant still gets less than 10 years.鈥�
Baez called the sentence 鈥渞eally just another example of someone being punished for their celebrity status and someone being utilized to set an example. And he鈥檚 not an example. He鈥檚 a human being.鈥�
Lanez鈥檚 lawyers plan to appeal the verdict, and to attempt to have him released on bail while they do.
Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, was repeatedly praised by prosecutors for her courage in testifying during the case and enduring online campaigns of hatred directed at her.
鈥淚 hope that Miss Pete鈥檚 bravery gives hope to those who feel helpless,鈥� said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc贸n of Megan at a news conference after the sentencing.
Prosecutors had sought a 13-year prison sentence. Legally, Lanez had been eligible for up to 22.
During Monday鈥檚 session, Lanez鈥檚 father, Sonstar Peterson, choked back tears as he talked about how the rapper鈥檚 mother died when he was 11, just days after she first showed symptoms of the rare blood disorder that would lead to her death.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody ever gets over that,鈥� he said of their youngest child, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson. 鈥淏ut his music became his outlet.鈥�
Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major-label albums. His last two reached the top 10 on Billboard鈥檚 charts.
Megan Thee Stallion, now 28, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her prominence has surged since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with 鈥淪avage,鈥� featuring , and as a guest on 鈥淲础笔.鈥�
The elder Peterson, who is a Christian minister, was one of several people who gave statements on Lanez鈥檚 character and charitable giving 鈥� as did the mother of Lanez鈥檚 son. Dozens more wrote letters to Herriford, including who asked the judge to hand down a sentence that was 鈥渢ransformative, not life-destroying.鈥�
Herriford said Lanez鈥檚 6-year-old also sent in a handwritten letter, but the judge did not describe it further.
Lanez鈥檚 family and supporters have packed the courtroom; during the trial, they contended his prosecution was unjustly brought on by Megan and powerful figures in music. After the verdict was read in December, Lanez鈥檚 father denounced the 鈥渨icked system鈥� that led to his son鈥檚 conviction; on Monday, Sonstar Peterson apologized to Herriford for the outburst.
The judge had handed several small victories to each side during the sentencing hearing.
He found that Megan, who was in an isolated area wearing only a bathing suit with no shoes, was an especially vulnerable victim when she was shot, but that Lanez was not overly cruel or callous in firing at her.
The judge found that Lanez posed no threat to public safety and that his lack of a criminal record should work in his favor.
Lanez鈥檚 lawyers argued that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from his mother鈥檚 death and other childhood difficulties. That stress led to serious alcohol abuse as an adult, they said.
But the judge agreed with prosecutors that those mental illnesses should not be considered in the sentencing, and in the end gave prosecutors most of what they wanted.
Under California law, Lanez was only allowed probation in the case if the judge found unusual circumstances.
The judge found that the case was only unusual because of the two famous people involved, which he said was not a factor.
鈥淗e should not be treated severely because he鈥檚 a celebrity,鈥� Hereford said, 鈥渘or should he be treated with leniency because he鈥檚 a celebrity.鈥�
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