The inmate behind the stabbing of rapper Tory Lanez has come forward, revealing his side of the story and the motive. The incident, which left Lanez hospitalized with fourteen stab wounds, unfolded earlier this March at California Correctional Institution.
Santino Casio, the man who admits to the stabbing, claims his actions were driven by fear and paranoia. “I heard Tory put a bounty on my head,” Casio told TMZ in a recent phone interview. “When someone’s got a target on you like that, it’s either you or them.”
Casio, who is serving a life sentence for a separate conviction, said he and Lanez were housed in neighboring cells and once had a cordial relationship. But that changed when he began hearing rumors that Lanez had intentions to harm him. “We used to talk sometimes,” Casio said. “But then I started hearing stuff, and I couldn’t just ignore it.”
A Tense Encounter Turns Violent
According to Casio, the turning point came when he encountered Lanez and believed the rapper was armed. “He had something in his pocket. It looked like a weapon,” Casio said. “I panicked. I thought he was about to make a move.”
Fearing an imminent attack, Casio launched into a violent assault, stabbing Lanez multiple times in the back, torso, and head. Despite the brutal nature of the incident, Casio insists he wasn’t trying to kill Lanez. “I just reacted. I was scared for my life,” he explained. “I even got stabbed too — in my leg. That’s how I know he had something on him.”
Lanez was immediately hospitalized but has since returned to custody at a new facility in San Luis Obispo County under heightened security.
Legal Team Pushes Back on Claims
Tory Lanez’s attorneys strongly deny Casio’s version of events. “The recent attempt on his life was savage and ferocious,” his legal team said in a statement. “Any claim to the contrary, particularly from an individual serving a life sentence for heinous crimes, is not only baseless but an absurd fabrication.”
They also reiterated their call for Lanez’s release, citing ongoing threats to his safety. “His continued confinement is both a miscarriage of justice and a threat to his life,” the statement read. “He must be released immediately.”
As debates over Lanez’s 2022 conviction for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion continue, the prison stabbing has added a new and violent chapter to the rapper’s incarceration saga.