How Megan Thee Stallion's Former Friend Could Swing Tory Lanez Verdict

A former friend of Megan Thee Stallion could have a significant effect on the outcome of the rapper's Los Angeles court battle with Tory Lanez over allegations that he shot her in the feet after an argument in July 2020.

Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, is on trial for three felony charges: assault with a semiautomatic handgun; carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He has denied all of the charges. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of nearly 23 years.

Prosecutors argued that Lanez shot Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, five times after the "WAP" rapper insulted Lanez in terms of his music career and the nature of their relationship. The jury heard how Megan asked to be let out of their car as they left a pool party at Kylie Jenner's house.

As she walked away from the car, Megan, 30, said she heard Lanez, 27, shout "dance, b****" as he allegedly fired at her feet on the sidewalk. Megan was taken to the hospital moments later after the car was stopped by police. Several bullet fragments were removed by doctors from Megan's feet.

Last week, Megan's ex-friend Kelsey Harris, who was present at the time of the shooting, took to the stand and testified that much of what she could recall about that night was "a blur" because of prior alcohol consumption.

Originally, Harris told authorities in September that she saw Lanez shoot Megan. She had texted Megan's manager: "Help. Tory shot meg. 911." However, at the trial she changed her story and blamed her loss of memory about the night's events on "being under the influence."

Harris also invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in her testimony, during which she said of her September statements, "There were some things I wasn't truthful about," according to the Law & Crime website.

When pressed on whether Lanez was the gunman, Harris said: "I didn't see him, and I told you that. I didn't see him do that."

Lanez has denied shooting Megan, with his defense team pointing a finger at Harris, based on DNA evidence found on the gun. Harris has denied the accusation, calling it "ridiculous."

Harris' decision to not repeat on the stand her previous statements about the incident is sure to affect the outcome of the trial, legal experts told Newsweek.

Jason Lampert, a criminal defense attorney and partner at Salzano, Ettinger, Lampert & Wilson LLP, said that it would be difficult to view the recanting of Harris' statements as anything less than "suspect."

"It certainly does not help the prosecution when a key witness recants favorable testimony," Lampert told Newsweek. "However, the surrounding circumstances make the recantation suspect, such that the prosecution may still get the benefit of her initial statement, or at worst be in the position they would have been [in] had she not testified."

Forensic psychiatrist and trial expert witness Carole Lieberman said granting immunity to Harris could well work in Megan's disfavor.

"One of the problems seems to be that the DA's office gave Kelsey Harris immunity prematurely," Lieberman said, "because they wanted her to testify against Tory like she had reported originally.

"She made good use of this by pleading the Fifth many times throughout her testimony. Obviously, she has something to hide, but it's not clear exactly what it is. If her testimony was too convincing, Tory will be acquitted, and it may be too late to charge her," Lieberman said.

During her testimony last week, Megan recalled how tensions began to rise in the car when Lanez allegedly asked her to stop "lying" to Harris about their intimate relationship. Megan told the court she knew Harris had a crush on Lanez and "didn't want her to know I had dealt with him in any kind of way."

Things then escalated when Lanez allegedly called Megan and Kelsey "b****** and h***."

Taking the stand, Megan said: "I just don't feel good. I can't believe I have to come in here and do this. I started walking away and I hear Tory yell, 'Dance, b****. I froze. I just felt shock. I felt hurt. I looked down at my feet, and I see all of this blood."

When police stopped the vehicle that Lanez and Megan were in, a gun, which was still warm to the touch, was recovered on the floor near where Lanez had been sitting, prosecutor Alex Bott said.

The jury heard that Lanez "profusely apologized for his actions" shortly afterward in a phone call, saying that he was "just too drunk" and had offered Megan and Harris $1 million to keep quiet, reported The Guardian.

Initially, Megan told doctors at the hospital she had injured herself on broken glass and denied Lanez was involved in a shooting, fearing he would get in trouble.

She said during her testimony: "This was the height of police brutality and George Floyd. I felt like if I said this man has just shot me, they might shoot first and ask questions later. I didn't want to see anybody die. I didn't want to die."

Months after the shooting, Megan told 90,000 live viewers on Instagram Live: "Tory shot me. You shot me and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs, lying, and s***. Stop lying! Why lie? I don't understand. I tried to keep the situation off the internet, but you dragging it!"