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Crime House 24/7
Night Watch: Blood in the Hollywood Hills: How Meg Thee Stallion’s Pain Went Viral
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- [00:03]
Vanessa Richardson
Hi Crime House community. It's Vanessa Richardson. Exciting news. Conspiracy theories, cults and crimes is leveling up. Starting the week of January 12th, you'll be getting two episodes every week. Wednesdays we unravel the conspiracy or the cult, and on Fridays we look at a corresponding crime. Every week has a theme. Tech, bioterror, power, paranoia, you name it. Follow conspiracy theories, cults and crimes now on your podcast app because you're about to dive deeper, get weirder, and go darker than ever before.
- [00:47]
Jennifer
This is Crime House.
- [00:50]
Katie Ring
Tonight's case didn't begin with a missing persons report or a quiet 911 call. It began in the Hollywood Hills and it spread online where viral clips reshaped the story. And at the center of it all was none other than Megan Thee Stallion. In a world where it's becoming difficult to distinguish AI generated content and reality, a single lie or misrepresentation can ruin someone's life. This begs the question, where will we draw the line when it comes to free speech, gossip, entertainment and deepfakes? And what price will people pay for purposefully portraying false narratives or using others likeness? Our case tonight forced those questions into the spotlight. And at the center of it all was Megan the Stallion. Megan says the argument escalated, she got.
- [01:41]
Natural Cycles Advertiser
Out of the car and that's when.
- [01:43]
Katie Ring
A rapper named Tory Lanez allegedly shot at her less than a month after court proceedings began. The Canadian rapper now awaits sentence sentencing. He faces more than 22 years in prison and possibly deportation.
- [01:59]
Jennifer
The Grammy winning rapper is accusing a.
- [02:01]
Katie Ring
Blogger of spreading damaging lies online that.
- [02:04]
Jennifer
Took a toll on her mental health.
- [02:10]
Katie Ring
Hi, welcome to Crime House Daily. I'm your host Katie Ring. Here we follow the cases making headlines now where justice is still unfolding. Follow us wherever you're listening and if you want ad free episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Foreign.
- [02:51]
Vanessa Richardson
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- [04:05]
Katie Ring
Okay, so tonight's case is one that everyone's been talking about recently. So I'm really excited to dive into it because it revolves around one of the most famous female rappers of our generation, Megan Thee Stallion. You probably know her for her songs like Hawkgirl, Summer and Savage, but her lore runs even deeper than the viral hits. In 2020, Megan was the victim of a violent crime. She went to court to fight the aftermath, and five years later, it finally came to a head. She sued the content creator Milagro Grams for defamation and the trial wrapped up at the end of 2025. But before we get into the verdict, we have to go back to the scene where it all began. Let's get into it. Just after 4am on July 12, 2020, the police were called to Nichols Canyon Road, a winding stretch in the Hollywood Hills where homes sit behind gates and nights are supposed to be quiet. That morning, officers arrived to something no one would have expected in a neighborhood like this, a trail of blood on the pavement, a group of shaken passengers outside an suv, and a young artist who had just been shot. In the group was 25 year old Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan P. She'd left a party earlier that night with 27 year old Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, otherwise known as Daystar Peterson, her friend Kelsey Harris, and Lane's driver slash bodyguard. The night should have ended with a drive home, but instead tensions inside the SUV escalated, words were exchanged and the argument grew louder. Eventually, Megan stepped out of the car to walk away. Megan later told jurors that when she walked ahead on the dimly lit road, Lanez leaned out of the passenger window and fired at the ground near her feet Bullet fragments struck both of them, leaving Megan unarmed, disoriented and terrified. Police body cam captured officers trying to understand what had happened. As Megan limped away from the vehicle, leaving bloody footprints behind her. She was taken to the Cedars Sinai Medical center under a pseudonym, where surgeons removed the bullet fragments from her feet. It was a chaotic scene, to say the least. Headlights reflected on broken glass and shell casings. A group of friends was suddenly divided, and a wounded artist was trying to steady herself while police shouted instructions. Megan's medical records later confirmed what had happened. From the beginning, she had been shot. Despite knowing the truth, at that moment, Megan was so afraid for her life that she withheld information from the police and hospital staff. Why? Because she was afraid things would escalate if she told the truth. And while no one knew it then this moment would become one of the most dissected incidents in the history of recent hip hop. Here was Tory Lanez, an established male rapper with Grammy and BET nominations for his work, accused of shooting Megan thee Stallion, an up and coming female artist in the same genre. A woman who walked away when tensions mounted. For weeks after the shooting, there was confusion in the media, on social media platforms, and even among fans of both musicians. But even in the midst of all of the discourse, Megan still didn't immediately publicly identify Lanez as the shooter. Later on, she explained that she was afraid of retaliation and didn't want to escalate an already volatile situation. So she chose silence. But on August 20, 2020, about a month after the shooting, things shifted. On that day, Megan ventured into the space where thousands of people were attacking her constantly social media. She went live on Instagram and decided to come forward with her truth, saying, quote, torey shot me. Yes, this. Tory shot me.
- [08:04]
Milagro Grams
You shot me.
- [08:06]
Katie Ring
A media storm ensued, one that was so big it spiraled out of control. Megan affirmed Lanez was guilty, while Lanez asserted that he was innocent. Roughly a month later, on October 8, 2020, the Los Angeles county district attorney finally had enough to take action. With so much evidence pointing to Lanez as the shooter. Like Megan's friend's text saying, tori shot Meg. Gunshot residue found on both Lanez and Kelsey Harris. Lane's apology texts saying things like I'm just too drunk. And evidence of bullet fragments. In Megan's feat, the Lada formally pursued charges against Lanes. So Lanez faced three charges. Assault with a semi automatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. And despite all of the evidence against him, the rapper pleaded not guilty. And with that, the case moved into the court system. His preliminary hearing wouldn't come until over a year later, on December 14, 2021. It was the day that finally brought the earliest pieces of evidence all together in one place. Medical records, fragments removed during surgery, eyewitness accounts, and police observations from the night of the shooting. Up until this point, the criminal process had been straightforward. Lanez was charged, he entered a plea, and he went to court. But the online reaction was anything but straightforward. And it found its way to some of the darkest corners of the Internet, where rumors fester. Commentary across social media platforms began shaping an alternative narrative, one that questioned everything from Megan's original testimony to the crime scene's forensic reports. And the tension between official record and public speculation only grew stronger. Eventually, some of the speculation would come to a head In December of 2022, over two years after Lane's first shot Megan. That month, the official trial started in Los Angeles. Over the next two weeks, prosecutors walked jurors through the night of the 12th in painful detail, presenting medical records that showed embedded bullet fragments in Megan's foot, depicting images of Megan's injuries, playing recordings, and reading testimony about the argument inside the suv, the argument that ignited it all. The defense challenged the prosecution's details, but at the end of the day, it wouldn't matter. No matter what defense did to sway the jury, the facts spoke for themselves, and Megan's truth came to light. At the end of the month, on December 23, 2022, the jury delivered their verdict. They found Tory Lanez guilty on all counts. He was taken into custody immediately, and for the first time in a long time, Megan and her team breathed a sigh of relief. Lane's punishment was set in Stone. About eight months later, on August 8, 2023, he was handed a 10 year sentence in state prison. But he refused to go away that easily. Lane's lawyers appealed the conviction. Soon after he was sentenced, arguing procedural errors and evidentiary issues. And even though Lane's was being put away for 10 years, by now the digital conversation had grown louder than ever. Before being convicted, Lanez was a man who had spent years building a large hip hop following and cultivating his community. Now it seemed like his followers, some fans, other hip hop connoisseurs came to his side. And while the legal system handled the shooting, a completely separate timeline unfolded. Online. People unrelated to the crime scene began weighing in, and they had a lot to say. Livestream hosts replayed testimony and added their own interpretations, while comment sections became battlegrounds and There was one name that appeared more often than most. Milagro Grams. Her legal name is Milagro Cooper, and she's a blogger who's known for live streaming reactions to celebrity cases. Milagro has 27,000 followers on X alone. Online, Milagro spoke quickly, confidently and casually, often positioning herself as someone seeing through the official story of a celebrity case. I think her role in this story is best explained in an excerpt of a piece that was published in Vanity Fair, which said that Milagro Gramps was part of a gossip ecosystem that thrives on immediacy and emotional connection. In other words, she found fandom in spaces where creators talked to viewers like trusted friends, not journalists. And when she talked about Megan and Lane's case, she didn't do it lightly. Milagro questioned every part of Megan's shooting account. She questioned her injuries, the emotional tone of her interviews, the forensic evidence, the jury verdict, the motivations, and even the medical records. Over time, her commentary grew sharper, and then it became more accusatory. It painted Megan as a liar, not a victim. Milagro repeatedly told her audience that Megan lied under oath, fabricated evidence, and crafted a false narrative. And not only that, but Megan alleged that Lanez was paying Milagro to be his puppet and, quote, mouthpiece. Her statements weren't just framed as speculation. They were presented as though they were the truth. And her audience listened because they couldn't separate fact from fiction. For Megan, Milagro's lies were bad enough. They threatened her credibility. And even though the justice system took Megan's side, it felt like the public had turned on her. And just when she thought things wouldn't get any worse, another allegation came along that would change everything.
- [14:21]
Milagro Grams
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- [14:54]
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- [15:25]
Katie Ring
On June 10, 2024, roughly three years after Megan the Stallion was shot in the foot by Tory Lanez, Megan found herself in yet another distressing situation. Even though Lanes had been convicted of shooting Megan and was sentenced for his crime, a woman named Milagro Grams was determined to spread a different story, and her actions would culminate in a highly anticipated civil trial that concluded just over a month ago. Milagro had been making Megan's life a living hell by spreading misinformation about the Lane shooting. That was bad enough as it is, but then Milagro took it to new heights. Megan alleged that Milagro shared a sexually explicit deepfake, an AI generated video designed to look like Megan and presented it as real. Milagro posted the video to X and encouraged her viewers to watch it, writing, go to my likes. Megan's complaint said posting this video wasn't criticism or commentary. She said it was exploitation. And suddenly an online feud shifted to a full blown legal battle because by late 2024, Megan decided she wasn't going to put up with Milagro's lies anymore. On October 29, 2024, she filed a federal civil lawsuit and accused her of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and promoting an altered sexual depiction. The filing argued that Milagro's confidence, tone and repetition in her live streams gave her statements the impact that ordinary online chatter did not have. And it argued that some of her statements didn't just challenge mainstream reporting, but also outright contradicted the confirmed legal record. While Megan was dealing with Milagro, Lanez was working to appeal his criminal conviction. His lawyer said that improper evidence admission, prosecutorial misconduct, and other procedural errors could have impacted his verdict and he demanded justice for it. Namely, they argued that the prosecution wrongly made references to his AK47 rifle tattoo because prosecutors said it was evidence that he had a violent nature. But the California Court of appeal disagreed. On November 12, it ruled that any errors made by the court probably wouldn't have changed his guilty verdict, and it upheld his original conviction. So with that, Megan's battle against Lanez was officially over. But the civil question, what happened online in the years that followed was just beginning. And finally, the digital conversation that spiraled for years, the commentary that shaped it, and the deep fake that pushed A civil dispute towards a federal courtroom was finally spiraling towards an end. And here's the thing. The jury didn't need to decide whether Lanez actually shot Megan. Their job was more unprecedented, more complicated, and far more unusual. Did online commentary cross the line into defamation and emotional harm? When the trial began on November 17, 2025, it opened up with something simple. A clip. The prosecution didn't introduce the first video with fanfare, just a live stream clip playing on courtroom monitors. On screen was Milagro Gramps speaking to her audience the way she always had, leaning into the camera, talking quickly, confidently and casually. And she was reacting to the sexually explicit deepfake video of Megan. Her tone wasn't hesitant. She didn't frame her statements as guesses or questions. A Vanity Fair reporter later wrote that in many of these clips, Milagro spoke as though she had access to information others didn't. The jury listened closely as Milagro criticized Megan's injuries, her medical records, and the jury verdict that landed Lanez in jail. In clip after clip, she insisted the prosecutors had it wrong, that Megan had lied under oath, and that the shooting didn't happen the way the criminal courts said it did. These were typical livestream moments, the kind viewers encounter every day on social media. And that familiarity made them powerful. For privacy reasons, the judge did not let the prosecution play the full clips. But Megan's lawyers didn't have to tell the jury that the clips were lies, because they didn't have to. Instead, they simply reminded them of the factual timeline. Megan was shot, Lanez fired the gun, a jury convicted him, and an appeals court affirmed it. Then Megan's lawyers drew the contrast they needed the jury to see. Opinion is protected. Lies are not. Megan's lawyers argued that Milagro didn't offer commentary about the shooting. She offered certainty presented as truth, even when the truth contradicted the official record. And more clips followed, each one examined for wording, tone, and structure. Jurors listened as Milagro stated that Megan, quote, fabricated evidence, lied about injuries and framed lanes. For Megan's lawyers, the goal wasn't to attack Milagro's personality. The goal was to show the brutal pattern. And while Milagro's lawyers argued that Milagro thought the sexual deepfake was actually real, Megan's lawyers weren't finished. In fact, the courtroom shifted when Megan's lawyers introduced a clip from Milagro's reaction video. She says, this has got to be AI. The defense's argument came crashing down. And that's when Megan's lawyers pulled out all of the stops. They argued that not only was Milagro spreading lies online, but she was being egged on by Tory Lanez himself. On the stand, Milagro even admitted to being paid by Sondstar Peterson, Tory's dad. And while Megan's lawyer said she was paid $3,000 to promote Lane's innocence, it's interesting to note that Milagro said she was only being paid for, quote, personal reasons. Then eventually, Megan herself took the stand. She talked about the shooting, her recovery, and the years of commentary that followed. Bravely, she described how even after the jury found Lane's guilty, she watched online narratives insist that the verdict wasn't real or worse, that she had fabricated her own trauma. She said it felt like the criminal justice system believed her, but that the Internet refused to. She then addressed the deep fake. She said she felt violated, dehumanized and unsafe, not because strangers had criticized her, but because an AI generated sexual image of her was treated as though it were authentic, posted casually, shared widely, and used as a weapon in arguments about her credibility. She fought to get the man who shot her behind bars. And now she was fighting to take down the woman who caused her so much pain. Even after her gunshot wounds had healed, Megan just wanted the world to believe her.
- [23:12]
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- [24:43]
Jennifer
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- [25:50]
Katie Ring
After Megan Thee Stallion took the stand in her defamation case against Milagro Grams, it became clear that she wasn't going down without a fight. She wanted her truth to prevail against Milagro's lies, and she wanted to put her trauma behind her. To do this, her lawyers needed to prove that Milagros actions didn't just hurt Megan's feelings, they actually harmed Megan and impacted her everyday life. So they explained times where Megan skipped events because she was afraid for her own safety, described the emotional strain Megan experienced during album releases and public appearances, and brought on members of her team to corroborate her ptsd. These weren't dramatic claims. They were documented patterns tied to timestamps, posts and online reactions. Their argument was straightforward. Influence has consequences. On the other hand, the defense didn't deny the content of the clips, but they still insisted that Milagro's videos were commentary protected by the First Amendment, even if she was unpopular or blunt. Meanwhile, Megan's lawyers countered with something else. Repetition. They pulled up dozens of posts and clips, noting that Milagro repeated the same claims even after Lanez's guilty verdict and sentencing. Even when public information changed, Milagro statements did not. That, they argued, showed A complete disregard for the truth, which is the legal core of actual malice. Towards the end of the trial, Megan's lawyers played one more sequence, not of Milagro's voice, but of viewer comments from the days after the 2022 guilty verdict. Some of the comments repeated her phrasing almost exactly. Megan's lawyers didn't argue that Milagro caused every comment. They used the compilation for a different point. This is what influence looks like. Not control, but reach. When the jury returned with their decision on December 1, 2025, it became the kind of moment that comes after something heavy, when everyone in the room understands that a line has to be drawn and that crossing it now carries a consequence. The jury's verdict was clear. Milagro grams was liable for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and for promoting an altered sexual depiction of Megan thee stallion. Megan was awarded $59,000 in damages. In response, Milagro said that she respected the jury's decision. But about a day after the verdict was announced, Milagro reported reportedly set up a campaign to support independent media, which she says goes towards, quote, the right to know. It was the end of a long legal fight. However, it was also the beginning of a much broader conversation, because at its core, this case wasn't only about one blogger, one deepfake, or one set of live streams. From the moment she named lanes publicly, Megan faced a storm of moments, mockery, disbelief, and conspiracy theories. People questioned her injuries, her motives, her emotions. Her truth was treated as entertainment, and her pain was dissected for clicks. And even after two courts confirmed that she had indeed been shot, the Internet continued insisting she hadn't. The civil trial finally created a counterweight to that narrative, not because it punished opinion, but because it recognized harm, the real, measurable kind that followed. When her trauma became a spectacle, Megan didn't just face skepticism. She faced a coordinated online ecosystem that rewarded doubt, rewarded outrage, and rewarded anyone who could generate the most viral angle on her pain. The verdict didn't erase that ecosystem, but it did something that rarely happens. It pushed back. Today, Megan thee stallion is in a very different place than she was in 2020 or even during the same years long stretch of hearings and commentary that followed. She's continuing her music career, releasing new singles, performing at festivals, and redefining what healing looks like in public. She also shifted part of her focus to wellness and empowerment. That evolution became especially visible in 2024 when she partnered with Nike to launch the Hottie walk, a fitness and lifestyle initiative encouraging women to move with confidence joy and intention. And in her personal life, she has stepped into a new chapter. This year, Megan began appearing publicly with NBA star Klay Thompson, marking a relationship that fans described as steady, private and supportive, the kind of grounding connection that stands in stark contrast to the turmoil she once fought through. And personally, I'm not a hardcore fan, but I do love Megan, and I love this relationship for her. People close to her say she's balancing strength with softness now, giving herself space to heal, to rebuild trust in her environment, and to reclaim her narrative from the voices that tried so hard to reach. Rewrite it For Megan, the verdict offered a rare moment of validation. Not because a blogger lost a case, but because a jury acknowledged that harm doesn't disappear just because it happened online. For commentators watching, the verdict offered a warning. Influence is power, and power comes with responsibility. And for Megan, it closed a chapter she never asked to write, one that began on a dark hillside road, grew louder on live streams and comment sections, and finally found resolution in a courtroom hundreds of miles away. She survived the violence. She survived the doubt. And now, after years of fighting for both, she is finally living her best life. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily and follow us on social media Rimehouse 247 for real time updates. Because the pursuit of justice never stops.
- [32:33]
Angie Hicks
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- [33:06]
Vanessa Richardson
Looking for your next listen? Hi, it's Vanessa Richardson and I have exciting news. Conspiracy theories, cults and crimes is leveling up starting the week of January 12th, you'll be getting two episodes every week. Wednesdays we unravel the conspiracy or the cult, and on Fridays, we look at a corresponding crime. Follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen.
- [33:37]
Jennifer
Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter?
- [33:40]
Katie Ring
Right? And the best part? They accept. Discover. Except discover in a little place like this? I don't think so, Jennifer. Oh yeah, huh?
- [33:48]
Milagro Grams
Discover's accepted where I like to shop. Come on, baby, get with the times.
- [33:52]
Pura Advertiser
Right.
- [33:53]
Katie Ring
So we shouldn't get the parachute pants. These are making a comeback, I think.
- [34:00]
Milagro Grams
Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen report.