Torchde Team | December 26, 2022
Jurors found rapper, Tory Lanez, guilty on all 3 counts for shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, discharging a firearm with gross negligence, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department show that he is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2023.
There was a noticeable difference in the way the trial was being reported by the media. Many hip-hop media outlets were fueling negative reports that criticized the prosecutors and focused on the irrelevant relationship that Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez allegedly had. While mainstream outlets like Rolling Stone, CBS, and NBC were negative towards Lanez but shockingly more thorough in their reporting. Most slanted reports were fueled through Youtube by DJ Academiks and employment lawyer Mohammed Gangat, who both attempted to push a not-guilty verdict.
The issue of whether Lanez’s DNA was found on the handgun seems to be one of the major misconceptions about this case, leaving many confused.
DNA Was Not Found On The Gun Magazine Used To Shoot Megan Thee Stallion, Results For The Gun Were Inconclusive
The LA forensic examiner testified that Lanez’s DNA was not found on the gun magazine, and the DNA results for the gun were Inconclusive. This means that prosecutors can not say with certainty whether Lanez’s DNA was on the gun but can not rule him out. In the forensic world, an Inconclusive result can also mean that there wasn’t enough DNA left on the object being tested, or there wasn’t enough DNA collected from the contributor.
Forensics discovered that there were four different male DNA contributors on the weapon. The weapon’s multiple handlers could also have resulted in an inconclusive DNA result. Due to the possibility that the gun magazine was loaded by another person before Lanez used it, there’s no vindication based on the lack of DNA on it.
The defense’s theory was that Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris shot the gun, not Tory. So there was back and forth between the prosecutor and defense experts about a female contributor, but it was mostly speculation.
Tory Lanez Defense Forensic Expert Was Not Accredited
Prosecutors used accredited forensic specialists to determine the DNA findings, whereas the results from the defense specialist were unaccredited. Marc Scott Taylor, a Forensic scientist called by the defense testified that he agreed with the findings of the LAPD testing, however, he added that they would expect a clear result on a DNA profile of the firearm after the trigger was pulled five times. Many Hip-hop outlets ran with this expert’s testimony, concluding that Lanez’s DNA was not found on the weapon at all. In cross-examination, Taylor was revealed to have been paid by the defense simply to discredit DNA results. During closing statements, prosecutors claimed Taylor was an unaccredited forensic expert.
DNA Is Not Always Left Behind
Randy Zepeda, a criminalist for the LAPD testified that “DNA is not always left behind or found on objects.” What contains DNA are substances secreted or excreted by the body like blood, saliva, sweat, etc. In this case, Zepeda explained that a contributor’s DNA can be compromised by “washing their hands” or “swimming in a pool” and then touching an object. The contributor would not leave much DNA behind in these examples.