Celebs who've written letters of support for Tory Lanez
In July 2020, Tory Lanez allegedly shot at the feet of Megan Thee Stallion. Now, three years after the incident occurred, the rapper has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tory - whose legal name is Daystar Peterson - is said to have fired the gun as the two drove home from a Hollywood Hills pool party hosted by reality star, Kylie Jenner.
Two days after the sentencing, which was announced on Wednesday 10 August, the 31-year-old released a statement claiming he was "wrongfully convicted" of the crime. Despite saying at his sentencing on Tuesday that if he could "turn back the series of events that night and change them" he would.
He then added: "The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day. Everything I did wrong that night, I take full responsibility for."
Back in December 2022 after a two-week trial, a Los Angeles jury found the rapper guilty of the three charges he faced: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.
Tory's statement in question - in which he asserts his innocence - was posted to his Instagram account on Thursday.
Captioning the post: "Through Good Times and Bad Times … Stay Strong… I’ll See You All Soon," the post read: "I have never let a hard time intimidate me. I will never let no jail time eliminate me. Regardless of how they try to spin my words, I have always maintained my innocence and always will."
He continued: "This week in court I took responsibility for all verbal and intimate moments that I shared with the parties involved... That's it."
Tory's statement then added that he was in "no way shape or form" apologising for the charges he was "wrongfully convicted of."
"I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologise for something that I did not do."
The remainder of the post detailed how the rapper has "faced adversity" his "whole life," but that "every time it looked like [he] would lose, [he] came out on top."
"I will refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious."
In terms of Tory's claims of innocence, there were multiple incidents during the trial that questioned this altogether. Namely, prosecutors who presented pieces of evidence of the rapper apologising after being arrested. Plus, a witness testified that he was "firing everywhere," as per Insider.
All the celebrities who've written letters defending Tory Lanez
Since the news of the sentencing became public, a number of celebrities have come forward to defend Tory, writing letters to the judge in a bid to appeal the final verdict. At the time of writing, the judge reported receiving over 70 letters in support of Tory.
Iggy Azalea
Controversial rapper Iggy Azalea was one of the first to share her thoughts, penning a letter to Honourable Judge Herriford. She began by introducing herself as "a successful musician" who has sold "over 65 million records," going on allege that the rapper couldn't have shot Megan because she's "seen him diffuse sticky situations" in the past.
"I deeply appreciate the person he is and have never witnessed him lose his temper or raise his voice at a woman. He's always been incredibly respectful of me and I refuse to believe that he would do anything in malice especially to a woman," she wrote.
Iggy also detailed that she was a victim of abuse, and would not write to the judge on "behalf of an abuser."
Mario
R&B singer Mario also contacted the judge ahead of the sentencing, writing that he has "never seen Tory act out of character in a manner to hurt someone."
"All I can pray for is that he and his son are treated fairly," he said.
Marc John Jefferies
Actor Marc John Jefferies began his letter by stating he has known Tory for just under seven years. Describing him as a "calm, relaxed, respectful and respectable individual," he said that while he does not know the "intimate details of the incident at hand," he does know that "due to the journey of life and living a full experience rooted in growth, sometimes, we make bad decisions."
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