(Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for MCM)
Judge David Herriford ultimately decided against Tory Lanez‘s request for a new trial. Herriford reportedly went over the defense’s seven main arguments taken from the rapper’s lawyers before concluding there were no errors.
He added that even if he concluded that each error did exist, they wouldn’t have had a material effect on the outcome of the trial to warrant a new one, according to crime reporter Meghann Cuniff.
Lanez’s defense attorneys reportedly went on to formally request that the judge disqualify himself from future proceedings. They reportedly told the judge that they didn’t think he could issue his ruling until the motion was resolved, to which Judge Herriford disagreed, according to Cuniff.
At this time, there are no additional updates about the rapper’s sentencing date. He faces up to 22 years in prison.
This article was originally published on May 9, 2023, at 12:39 p.m. ET and was updated on May 9, 2023, at 4:15 p.m. to reflect the judge’s ruling. See the original report below.
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Embattled rapper Tory Lanez reportedly begged a Los Angeles judge not to “ruin” his life Monday ahead of a court hearing for a new trial on Tuesday (May 9), tweeted Meghann Cuniff.
The 30-year-old pleaded with Judge Herriford, who is Black, and attempted to appeal to the judge’s sense of solidarity.
“Please don’t ruin my life. I could be your son, I could be your brother,” Lanez said.
Cuniff tweeted that Lanez’s outburst didn’t cause much of a commotion in the court, however, a sheriff’s deputy reportedly told the rapper to shut up several times.
Judge Herriford did not respond to Lanez’s pleas. However, officials quickly removed Lanez from the courtroom without incident, Cuniff reports.
Earlier in the proceedings on Monday, Lanez’s attorney Jose Baez engaged in a series of prolonged arguments with Judge Herriford.
According to Cuniff, who was in court during Monday’s hearing, Baez argued that the district attorney was trying to make Lanez out to be a misogynistic rapper in the first trial.
Meanwhile, Baez also took issue with the inability to call witnesses and defense experts. Herriford replied that he knows Baez doesn’t practice law in this jurisdiction because, “in this jurisdiction, this is how motions for new trial work,” Cuniff’s tweet-thread read.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Monday’s court appearance surrounded the subject of DNA found on the gun used to shoot at Megan Thee Stallion.
Cuniff explained:
“One big thing from today: It was made clear that the argument that Lanez’s DNA is excluded from the gun is NOT based on new evidence. It’s a new expert analyzing the same DNA evidence prosecutors used in trial and that Lanez’s original expert analyzed as inclusive.”
“I don’t know anybody in this country who’d want to go to trial with a lawyer who’s been on the case less than two weeks,” Baez said of Mgdesyan’s counsel.
Baez went on to say: “I was trying to be as delicate as I could under the circumstance… I gain no pleasure from attacking any defense lawyer” of Mgdesyan’s alleged ineffective counsel.
Another lawyer representing Lanez reportedly argued that jurors shouldn’t have heard the name “Tory Lanez” due to it being a creative expression.
However, Cuniff tweeted that Judge Herriford shot back that Lanez’s own attorney repeatedly called him “Tory Lanez” throughout the trial.
After the judge convicted him on three counts in December, Lanez will be back in court again Tuesday (May 9).
It’s expected that he will learn his fate regarding a new trial.
