All of Tory Lanez's support letters, including from his hair-loss doctor and rapper Stefflon Don
Lanez's lawyers submitted 76 character reference letters to the judge who went on to sentence him last week to 10 years in prison for shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Along with rapper Iggy Azalea, the celebrities who wrote to Tory Lanez’s sentencing judge include R&B singer Mario, actor Marc John Jefferies and rappers Red Café, Melii and Stefflon Don, who lauded the cultural contributions of her 2018 song with Lanez.
Don submitted a letter under her legal name, Stephanie Allen, that says a highlight of her “musical journey” with Lanez was the release of a song they co-wrote and performed.
She didn’t name it, but the song clearly is their remix of “Senseless,” which she said “resonated deeply with our audience and received significant acclaim, climbing the charts and touching the hearts of many listeners.”
“This achievement stands as a testament to Tory’s artistry and ability to connect with people through music,” Don wrote.
Melii, meanwhile, identified herself by her legal name, Audrey Ducasse, and said she “was an artist signed to Daystar Peterson,” which is Lanez’s legal name.
“His image he had was more of a character for the industry his in but even through that, his real self always shined through and that’s why we all love him the way we do,” wrote Ducasse, who recently was ordered to pay $4 million for her own role in a separate, 2017 shooting. “Although this took a turn I ask that you please give Daystar a chance and give him the opportunity to be home soon and not be seen in such a horrible light.”
Red Café wrote a letter under his abbreviated legal name, J. Denny, and identified himself as CEO of REDCAFE & Shakedown Entertainment.
He said Lanez’s “dedication to his craft, community, and his fans has undoubtedly left a lasting impression and serves as an inspiration to aspiring musicians and individuals from all walks of life.”
“We are genuinely grateful for his presence and influence in the music world, and we look forward to witnessing the continued positive change he brings to the lives of many,” Red Cafe wrote. “In conclusion, we wholeheartedly endorse Tory Lanez and applaud his outstanding contributions as a motivator and musician in the hip hop community. He embodies the essence of a true artist and serves as an influential figure in the industry, leaving an indelible impact on all who encounter his work. It is a genuine honor for us to bear witness to his incredible journey.”
The letters are among 76 that Lanez’s lawyers submitted to Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford ahead of Lanez’s sentencing last week, which ended with Herriford imposing a 10-year prison term for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in her feet and injuring her on July 12, 2020.
Prosecutors said Lanez fired five rounds from a semi-automatic at Megan as she walked away from his Escalade barefoot and in a bikini about 4:25 a.m. after they left a gathering at reality star Kylie Jenner’s home. Two bullets hit her, according to trial testimony, and surgeons removed fragments from her feet while some still remain.
(Megan submitted a written statement that was read aloud at Lanez’s sentencing last week, while Lanez spoke to the judge for several minutes. Transcripts of both statements are available here.)
Commonly referred to as character reference letters, the letters submitted to Herriford are from Lanez’s business associates, charity workers, friends and family as well as criminal justice reform advocates, including Arizona State University law professor Erik Luna and New Haven, Missouri, Police Chief Chris Hammann. At least two were written before Lanez was charged in 2020, to try to persuade the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office not to charge him. After word of hers spread online, Azalea said she was told it would be “for the judge’s eyes only.”
Two chaplains at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles wrote of the peace Lanez has brought to his module through nightly prayer sessions he instigated since he was remanded to jail after the jury convicted him on Dec. 23. It’s a protective custody module where the inmates can’t see each other but can hear each other’s voices, and Lanez “saw the brokenness in the lives of those around him and started what is now known as a prayer call,” wrote Miles McNerney.
McNerney said Lanez’s attitude “has been contagious prompting everyone to break out in orderly prayer.”
“This has created a once very hostile environment to a house of prayer. His conduct is above reproach, and his character and love for the Lord is without question,” McNerney wrote.
Sharon Crandall, a chaplain through the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, said Lanez “has brought a sense of calm to an otherwise loud and chaotic environment.”
“Mr. Peterson has used this time of incarceration to reflect on all the reasons he is there. He is remorseful regarding his involvement in all the events that occurred to bring him to this situation, and we have talked about what happened in detail … and what could have been done to avoid the situation all together,” Crandall wrote.
Many wrote of Lanez’s kindness and financial generosity, including a man who said Lanez saved his life when he was suicidal, a woman who said he paid her rent for a year and a woman who said he bought a child a wheelchair.
Craig Ziering, a dermatologist who treated Lanez for hair loss, said Lanez is working with the doctor to open outreach centers and pharmacies “in underserved African American communities to promote affordable health care and awareness.”
Lanez “has helped countless numbers of people suffering from Hair loss by sharing his journey publicly, via print, social media, online, radio and podcasts with his own time, money and resources,” according to Ziering’s letter.
Together, the letters were meant to support Lanez’s lawyers’ argument that his charity work and financial generosity, coupled with his alleged alcohol-use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, meant his three felony convictions, including first-degree assault with a firearm, are unusual enough to warrant probation instead of prison.
Judge Herriford concluded Lanez’s good deeds were a factor in his favor, but the judge also said his post-shooting conduct, including harassing social media posts and song lyrics directed at Megan, was a “major aggravating factor” in his sentence. Herriford said when he rejected Lanez's motion for new trial in May that his lawyers cherrypicked facts while ignoring major evidence against him, which he said the jury clearly believed beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lanez maintains his innocence, and some of the letters express their disbelief at his convictions and try to persuade the judge he couldn’t have been the one who shot Megan because it would be so out of character.
Don’s letter said she’s “deeply saddened by the recent incident that led to Tory’s conviction” but she believes “it was an isolated mistake that does not define who he is as a person.”
Mario, the R&B singer who submitted a letter under his full name, Mario Barrett, said he’s “never seen Tory act out of character in a manner to hurt someone.”
“Tory is the type of person who doesn’t look for handouts or cheat codes. He works harder than almost anyone I know in this business. I have watched Tory struggle as an independent artist against a system that tried to oppress him because of his hard work and drive. His success in that realm says more about his work ethic and character than I ever could,” Mario wrote.
Others were more circumvent, including Jefferies, whose film credits include The Haunted Mansion, Notorious, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and Finding Nemo.
“While I do not know the intimate details of the incident at hand, I do know that due to the journey of life and living a full experience rooted in growth, sometimes, we make bad decisions,” Jefferies wrote.
A letter from Poe Boy Records founder Elric “E-Class” Prince, who opened The Licking soul food restaurants with DJ Khaled, says he has known Lanez “for over ten years and have had the privilege of closely observing his personal and professional growth during this time.”
“It deeply saddens me to see Tory embroiled in the current trial. If given the opportunity to turn back time, I firmly believe that he would have taken every precaution to ensure that he would never find himself in such a situation,” Prince wrote.
Melii didn’t mention the shooting beyond referencing “troubles and obstacles” and saying Lanez’s life “took a turn.”
“I hope u can see past troubles and obstacles that are being faced right now and see that this man is more than what has happened or being portrayed as,” Ducasse wrote. “He isn’t known to be an aggressor or a bad man and I hope reading this you can see what we all see in him.”
Melii has her own experience with a shooting: She pleaded guilty in 2017 to assault for accidentally shooting a friend at a party in Pennslyvania in 2017, paralyzing him. In June 2023, a federal jury ordered her to pay the victim, Norman Troy Lynch, Jr., nearly $4.75 million for his negligence claim, blaming Melii for 65 percent of the shooting and Lynch for 35 percent. U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani reduced it to about $3.1 million to account for Lynch’s 35 percent culpability, then increased it to $4.07 million to account for a three-year delay in the resolution of the lawsuit. The final order was issued July 25.
Melii’s undated letter describes the emptiness many feel with Lanez in jail.
“With Daystar around we never noticed the weight he carried for us, that he saved a lot of us from and that he still continues to help us through,” Melii wrote. “He’s always been selfless and made sure to not only open doors but leave them open for us to walk through with him.”
Other writers include Raina Chassagne, the mother of Lanez’s six-year-old son and to whom Lanez announced his engagement during last week’s sentencing. She has known Lanez since they were students together at Glades Middle School in Florida, and she spoke about his good relationship with his son and his problems with alcohol. Her letter does not mention alcohol but discusses his dedication and resilience.
“Even without a stable home he was able to find comfort in the care and support of my family and me. My mom would also pick him up on Sundays to go with us to church and those are memories I will never forget. Through hardship he remained my rock,” Chassagne wrote.
In her letter to the judge, Chassagne’s mother, Nancy Laguerre-Altenor, wrote that Raina’s father was killed when she was 18 months old and “my heart’s desire and my prayer was and still is that my grandchildren would not know the pain of not having their fathers around to guide them, protect them, provide for them, and love them.”
“Although Daystar’s lifestyle in the limelight put a wedge between them, they remain steadfast in their friendship and always collaborated in co-parenting Kai. Daystar has always been a responsible father and ensured that Raina and Kai are provided for,” Laguerre-Altenor wrote.
“My heart breaks for my baby, Kai, who does not quite understand his father’s absence for the past few months,” she continued. The boy attended most of his father’s trial and was in the courtroom when the verdict was read and his father was handcuffed, but he has not attended any post-convictions proceedings.
Chassagne said she and Lanez both come “from a history of absent fathers” and said Lanez’s life spiraled after his mother died ad “his father and siblings decided to move out and live separately from each other.”
Lanez’s former manager Sascha Stone Guttfreund said the death of Lanez’s mother when he was 11 was “a tremendously traumatic event,” but it was exasperated when his father “left to start a new life (and family) in Africa, leaving the teenager to fend for himself.”
Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, did not write a letter, but he spoke to Herriford in person last week. He detailed the death of Lanez’s mother and also apologized for his huge courtroom outburst after the verdict.
One letter poignantly describes how incarceration affects a criminal’s defendants friends and family.
“The void left by Daystar’s absence is immeasurable, and our lives have been irreversibly altered. As we navigate through each day without him, we are reminded of all the moments we should have had together. His laughter, his smile, and his guidance are sorely missed, and the void he has left in our lives is one that time cannot heal,” wrote Jeauvar Wynter, who identified Lanez as “a dear friend and my brother.”
Lanez’s son also appealed to the judge.
“I miss my dad. He is a good singer. He luv me. I luv him. I miss his hugs,” the boy wrote.
Lanez’s lawyers displayed the boy’s letter in a slideshow presentation during his sentencing. The slideshow also included articles about Lanez performing charitable acts, as well as drawings of Lanez by Omar Bain, a painter and sculpture who said Lanez saved his life.
A 122-page PDF with all 76 letters is available to download at the link below.
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