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.
Tory Lanez WILL NOT get a new trial for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. This is according to Judge David Herriford, who ruled from the bench a few minutes ago.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
RELATED: LISTEN: Tory Lanez Continues To Speak Out As His Lawyer Says ‘Misrepresented’ DNA Evidence Justifies A New Trial
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.
Lanez’s Attorneys Battle With Judge Ahead Of Motion For A New Trial
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.
Busy morning in Los Angeles: A former deputy city attorney’s federa criminal sentencing at 8, Judge Carter’s 9 status conference in the homeless lawsuit he refuses to let end and Judge Herriford is to say at 10:30 whether Tory Lanez gets a new trial. pic.twitter.com/Bf8haftk3h
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 9, 2023
New DNA Expert Says Tory’s DNA Was ‘Excluded’ On The Gun, Judge Questions Why No Objection At Trial
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.”
Lanez’s lawyers Jose Baez and Matthew Barhoma after court. Baez said this is only the beginning of a long process. “We’re not going to stop until we get him out,” @BaezLaw said. pic.twitter.com/tw0GOj9ag5
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 8, 2023
Tory’s legal team also attempted to label his former counsel as ineffective, but the judge questioned them as to why they didn’t object to the DNA during the first trial. When pressed about claiming Tory’s previous counsel George Mgdesyan was ineffective, Jose Baez only offered it was “by way of conflict.”
“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.
The biggest theme of the hearing so far is ineffective assistance of counsel. Lanez’s lawyers’ supplement apparently criticizes Shawn Holley’s work for Lanez and says she had a conflict that pushed George Mgdesyan into the case with little time to prepare.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 8, 2023
Judge Shoots Down Argument That Jurors Should Have Never Heard The Name “Tory Lanez” At Trial
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.
The other attorney also made the bold argument that jurors never should have heard the name “Tory Lanez” because it’s a creative expression. Judge Herriford pointed out that Lanez’s own lawyer repeatedly called him Tory Lanez all through trial.
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 8, 2023
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.
