Tory Lanez's legal team recently requested that an appeals court overturn the rapper's conviction for his 2020 shooting incident with Megan Thee Stallion, arguing that his 2022 trial was “riddled with errors.” Furthermore, his attorneys told the panel that they had “unwavering belief” that Lanez was innocent during the hearing in the rapper's appellate case on August 18, 2025.For the uninitiated, Tory Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was tried for multiple firearm-related charges for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion (real name Megan Pete) in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, in July 2020. He was convicted during the trial in 2022 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023.The high-profile trial remains highly debated to this day, with the case attracting renewed scrutiny after the rapper was attacked and stabbed multiple times by a fellow inmate in May 2025. Since then, Lanez's legal team has been fighting to get his conviction overturned.During the recent hearing, attorney Laura L. Cepero claimed that the DNA and fingerprint evidence presented by the prosecution in the trial were misconstrued. Cepero stated that there was only a “one in a million” chance of Lanez's DNA being on the firearm used during the shooting, saying:“It is actually marginally more likely that another member of the African American population touched this gun over Mr. Peterson. If our jury had heard that Mr. Peterson maybe one in a million touched the gun, I believe that would have been enough to tip that scale and show reasonable doubt.”Akademiks TV @AkademiksTVLINKJustice for Tory Lanez Tory Lanez lawyer today revealed in his appeal that finger print evidence was with held which proved it was impossible for him to have fired the gun 5 times and that the serial number was never searched by the LAPD to identify the owner of the gun thatFurthermore, Cepero alleged that the defense attorneys were not allowed to properly cross-examine witness Kelsey Harris during the trial, adding that this violated Lanez's constitutional right to “confront” a key witness. However, prosecutor Michael Keller argued against this claim, saying:“Harris wasn’t excused as a witness. I see nothing that would preclude Harris from recall. So the confrontation clause just does not work on appeal.”For the uninitiated, Harris, who had been in the car with Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez during the shooting along with a bodyguard/driver, was heard admitting that Lanez shot Megan in a tape that the prosecution played for the jury during the trial.Tory Lanez's lawyers claimed the prosecution "misled" the jury about a potential witnessAccording to Rolling Stone, Tory Lanez's attorneys claimed that the prosecution allegedly "misled" the jurors about Justin Edison, Megan Thee Stallion's former bodyguard, potentially testifying during the trial. For the uninitiated, the prosecution had told the jury that Edison would testify that Lanez allegedly confessed to the crime during opening statements in 2022.However, Edison never testified during the trial, despite the judge issuing a "body attachment" to allow the prosecution to bring the potential witness to court in custody. During the recent hearing, Crystal Morgan, Tory Lanez's attorney, stated that the prosecutors should have been more careful with their wording during opening statements, adding:“I think prosecutors should be extra careful. If they say they ‘hope to produce’ such a witness, that perhaps would be enough. But here, there was just no hesitation.”Associate Justice Rashida Adams, who was on the appeals panel, asked Morgan if there was any evidence to prove that the prosecutors "did not have a reasonable, good-faith belief that the people would not be able to produce Mr. Edison at trial," to which Morgan replied that the defense team had not received any copy of Edion's supposed interview with prosecutors.Meanwhile, prosecutor Michael Keller argued that the prosecution had provided more than enough “compelling” evidence to convict Tory Lanez with or without Edison's testimony.Keller also referenced Tory Lanez's voicemail to Kelsey Harris and his text message to Megan Thee Stallion after the shooting, where he apologized for his actions and blamed it on alcohol. He argued that it was "nonsensical" for Lanez to apologize to either woman for simply creating a "rift” between them, saying:"He was clearly accepting responsibility for something big. Something that applied to [Megan] but not to Harris."Raphousetv (RHTV) @raphousetv2LINKThe state attorney challenged Tory Lanez’s appeal called his explanation “illogical,” saying it made no sense for him to claim he wasn’t apologizing for shooting Megan Thee Stallion when he phoned her friend. They claim He was clearly accepting responsibility for “something veryMeanwhile, Morgan rebuffed Keller's statement by saying that “there was not enough evidence” for Lanez's conviction, adding:“Even today, it’s still not quite clear what happened on that night.”The panel will rule on the direct appeal in the coming weeks or months. However, they have not issued a date for the ruling as of this writing.Tory Lanez did not testify during his trial in 2022. Meanwhile, Megan Thee Stallion took the stand and delivered a three-hour-long testimony where she recounted the 2020 attack, revealing that at times she wished Lanez "would have just shot and killed [her]" to spare her from going through "this torture."Tory Lanez is currently serving his sentence at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo, California. He was transferred to the new facility after his attack in May 2025, which occurred at the California Correctional Institution. Following his attack, several celebrities and politicians came forward to call for his release, including Drake and Chris Brown.