During a Wednesday (July 12) hearing, a judge shot down Tory Lanez's request for Ronda Renee Dixon to join his legal team under his high-profile attorney, Jose Baez.
After Tory's request was denied, Dixon spoke to legal reporter Meghann Cuniff, and she revealed that Tory isn't doing great behind bars. Speaking about Lanez, Dixon explained, "His eyes were black. He was totally despondent. He told me he wanted to go to state prison. I said, 'You want to go to state prison? Why?' He said, 'At least I’ll be able to go out in the yard and talk to people.' That upset me. I don’t think he’s guilty."
While Tory wants Dixon to replace Matthew Barhoma for his counsel, Dixon has an issue with working under Jose Baez, as she told Cuniff, "Me and him have some serious issues, because he won’t talk to me." Dixon added, "These guys are just taking advantage of [Lanez]. They’ve had him sign powers of attorneys. They’re acting on his behalf. … They’re not really asking him what he wants."
Dixon also alleges that Barhoma was declining to send her case materials because Tory allegedly owes him $50,000. She stated, "What he’s paid his attorneys so far is unreal. It’s unimaginable. They were only concerned about getting paid."
Barhoma denied Dixon's claims, telling Cuniff, "None of it is true. And Ronda Dixon has all case materials from Mr. Baez and I."
Dixon also shared a motion she wrote asking the judge to give Tory bail. The motion reads, "Merely because he is well known, the Sheriff has decided that Mr. Peterson is of such great threat that he must be confined in the same manner as those convicted of serial rape charges and murder."
Dixon added that Baez doesn't want her to file the motion, but she feels like Tory is being subjected to cruel punishment in prison. She explained, "He has to be shackled and he has to be accompanied by a sheriff and two deputies to move. He told me he hadn’t seen daylight in four months, that they didn’t take him to the day yard at all. That’s doing something to his psyche."
According to an update from Cuniff, Orange County attorney Ed Welbourn will instead be substituting for Barhoma.
Source: Legal Affairs and Trials
