Rich Fury/Getty Images
Tory Lanez Witness Tampering Charges Denied in Megan Thee Stallion Trial
Tory Lanez won’t face witness tampering charges in his felony assault trial for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
On Monday, prosecutors attempted to enter the motion, which makes it a crime to attempt to dissuade a witness, based on an alleged $1 million bribe Lanez made to Megan Thee Stallion and her former best friend Kelsey Harris.
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta said the charges were “based on testimony by both the victim and Ms. [Kelsey] Harris” about “statements the defendant made in the car, offering them a million dollars” to stay silent about the July 2020 shooting, according to Rolling Stone.
The judge asked why prosecutors waited so long to bring the charges, and the DA said she wasn’t sure how Harris was going to testify. They decided to file over the alleged “$1 million bribe” after Harris appeared to corroborate Megan’s claim during her testimony.
Lanez’s defense lawyer George Mgdsyan objected, arguing that prosecutors had known since September what Harris’ testimony would be. The court ultimately agreed and denied the witness tampering charges.
“I think it’s unfair at this juncture, so I would deny that motion,” the judge said.
Lanez was recently hit with a third charge of discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He previously pleaded not guilty to assault with a firearm causing great bodily injury and concealing a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.
The trial continued on Monday as Megan’s former stylist Eric “EJ” Culberson took the stand to testify about the party he attended at Kylie Jenner’s house ahead of the shooting, claiming he didn’t see a firearm at any point during the night of the alleged shooting.
Prosecutors have been trying to track down Megan’s former bodyguard Justin Edison, who was expected to testify Friday. Megan’s lawyer Alex Spiro said Edison went missing and police are investigating his whereabouts.
“He has essentially vanished. Law enforcement has been looking furiously for him and cannot locate him,” Spiro said. “He was also going to have devastating evidence that irrefutably proved Tory’s guilt.”