Overview

• The Second District Court of Appeal rejected petitions filed in 2023 and 2024 that sought to introduce affidavits from Lanez’s driver and testimony from a bodyguard alleging Kelsey Harris handled the gun.
• Judges ruled key assertions were forfeited at trial or presented untimely and without justification, undermining Lanez’s arguments for habeas relief.
• A sworn LAPD statement confirmed critical evidence—including the firearm, magazine and bullet fragments—remained in police custody and that Lanez did not seek further DNA testing at trial.
• Trial records show both sides’ experts agreed the magazine yielded no DNA from Lanez and that gun testing was inconclusive, diminishing claims of newly discovered exculpatory evidence.
• Lanez, serving a 10-year sentence and recovering from a prison stabbing earlier this year, now pins hopes on his direct appeal, with oral arguments set for August 18.