Authorities have identified the inmate accused of stabbing incarcerated rapper Tory Lanez with a self-made shank as 41-year-old Santino Casio, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
Casio allegedly attacked Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, around 7:20 a.m. Monday in a housing unit at the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Peterson is serving a 10-year sentence for shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. He was transported to an outside medical facility for treatment and is currently in fair condition, prison officials said Tuesday afternoon.
An Instagram account ascribed to Lanez said the rapper was stabbed 14 times — including seven wounds to his back, four to his torso, two to the back of his head and one to his face. The 32-year-old Canadian artist was said to have suffered two collapsed lungs but was “in good spirits” and “pulling through.”
Casio has been placed in restrictive housing while prison officials and the Kern County district attorney’s office investigate the attack.
The alleged assailant was sent to the California Correctional Institute from Los Angeles County in 2004 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, use of a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury, according to the CDCR.
While in prison, Casio has been sentenced for two additional crimes.
In 2008, he was sentenced to six years for assaulting a prisoner with a deadly weapon. Then, in 2018, he was sentenced to two years for possessing a deadly weapon in prison.
Peterson was sentenced in August 2023 for shooting Grammy-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete. He was convicted in December 2022 of assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm and negligent discharge of a gun.
The “Savage” musician has alleged that Peterson has continued to harass her from prison by directing his fans and online trolls to disparage her online. In January, a Los Angeles judge granted Pete a restraining order against Peterson until 2030.
Staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report