Megan Thee Stallion’s Ex-Friend Kelsey Harris Repeatedly Invokes Fifth Amendment, but Reaffirms Tory Lanez Threatened to Shoot Her
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Tory Lanez felony assault trial continued Wednesday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom with testimony from key witness Kelsey Harris, a former friend of — and assistant to — Megan Thee Stallion. Her first-person account had been long-awaited, as Lanez has repeatedly denied shooting Megan during a roadside assault in July 2020.
Before Harris began her testimony, she asserted her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination and requested “use immunity” from prosecution, which was granted, according to a report by Rolling Stone. She later invoked her fifth amendment right again when Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta asked whether Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, had threatened to shoot her.
More from Variety
The question referred to a September interview which was played in court. Ta asked, “Do you remember in this interview with (another prosecutor) and myself, that you mentioned he threatened to shoot you?”
Prompted by the judge, Harris confirmed she had made the claim that Peterson threatened to shoot her in the September interview, and said the threat came while they were inside the vehicle.
Throughout the morning session of her testimony, which lasted a little under 40 minutes, Harris was somewhat unresponsive to questions relating to that night and said a lot of her memory of the assault was “blurry” because the group had spent the night drinking at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home. She said everyone at the house was “having fun,” but remembered Megan — whose real name is Megan Pete — was “a little off,” as she was drunk. According to her testimony, when Peterson arrived at the home, he began to flirt with Jenner.
Harris testified once Pete said she was ready to leave, the two women left with Peterson’s driver, leaving him still at the house. (The opposite was said when Pete testified on Tuesday, as Pete said the driver refused to leave the home without his client.)
She claims they left but then, once Pete realized she had forgotten a “slipper” at Jenner’s house, they returned, which is when “a fight or something happened.” According to her account, the trio got into the SUV, and that’s when the “argument that took place inside carried on,” she said, refusing to give specific details.
Ta then asked Harris if she remembered Peterson bringing up his and Pete’s sexual relationship, to which she responded “Yes,” going on to say she was “upset, confused.” Harris had previously testified she and Peterson had been intimate.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “He’s just saying that they had a relationship, they were having a relationship. An argument ensues and just continues. Me and her are arguing about her disloyalty.”
On Tuesday, Pete told the court that Peterson had offered her “a million dollars” to not tell authorities what had occurred that night and Harris denies that she accepted any money, but it remains unclear whether or not Lanez offered her any hush money.
During opening statements, Peterson’s attorney, George Mgdesyan, told the jury that his client’s DNA was not found on the weapon used in the attack — which prompted many to speculate that piece of evidence would be used to place the blame on Harris. To this, Harris responded on Wednesday in court that those accusations were “ridiculous.”
Harris did not confirm seeing Lanez shoot the gun, though she had previously stated she had, in the September interview.
“I don’t care to be here today,” she said at the start of the session, going on to call the trial a “triggering situation” and explaining that she was suffering from anxiety along with the birth of a child and a recent death. Harris also told the court that Pete had “painted the picture that I betrayed her, she’s painted the picture that I’m this bad person, bad friend, that I took hush money. There are many lies,” she testified.
There were no additional comments from Peterson’s defense team. Harris will return to the stand tomorrow for another day of testimonials, followed by cross-examination.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
