Background
Daystar Peterson, known professionally as Tory Lanez, is serving a 10-year sentence at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi after being convicted in December 2022 on three felony firearm charges related to the July 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
On May 12, 2025, Peterson was attacked in the prison yard and stabbed 16 times - seven wounds to the back, four to his torso, two to the back of his head, and one under his left cheekbone that left his jaw open. Both lungs collapsed. He was airlifted by ambulance to a hospital in Bakersfield.
The attacker, identified as inmate Santino Casio, later told TMZ he stabbed Peterson after hearing rumors the rapper had put a bounty on him. Peterson's attorneys called that claim "an absurd fabrication" and described the attack as "savage and ferocious."
Peterson is now suing CDCR and the State of California, alleging the prison failed to protect him despite known threats, constituting negligence and a violation of his civil rights.
Key Claims
This case sits at the intersection of celebrity, prison violence, and institutional accountability. Peterson's legal team has simultaneously called for Governor Newsom to pardon or commute his sentence, citing the stabbing as evidence that continued confinement is a threat to his life. His appeal of the original Megan Thee Stallion conviction was denied by the California Court of Appeal (46-page opinion, Nov 2025) and the California Supreme Court (Feb 2026). His team plans to petition the U.S. Supreme Court. A petition for clemency has collected over 300,000 signatures.
TRO Denied — Procedural, Not Merits
Judge Staton denied Peterson’s emergency TRO request in his correctional officer retaliation case. The denial was procedural, not merits-based — Peterson’s counsel did not show adequate ex parte notice efforts before filing. The court found that references to speaking with individuals around April 29 (nearly a month before the filing) were insufficient under the judge’s ex parte procedures.
What Peterson Was Asking For
Peterson is now housed at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. His emergency application alleged ongoing retaliation, intimidation, and harassment tied to filing the original stabbing lawsuit. Specifically, he alleged efforts to move him into a more dangerous housing yard. The TRO sought three things:
Seal Request Also Denied
Peterson’s team separately asked to file the supporting declaration and materials under seal (or in redacted form), arguing they contained sensitive custodial and safety information. Judge Staton denied that too — in a footnote, the court noted counsel filed only a redacted declaration and failed to file the required unredacted version per Local Rule 79-5.2.2(a).
The retaliation claims remain ongoing. The denial was about notice procedure, not the substance of Peterson’s allegations. Parole-eligible date: August 2029.