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The inmate accused of stabbing rapper Tory Lanez multiple times in prison claims he acted in self-defense, alleging that Lanez had placed a bounty on his head. Speaking during a recorded phone call from prison, Santino Casio—who is currently serving a life sentence—admitted to the stabbing but insisted it was a preemptive act driven by fear for his own life.
According to Casio, prison rumors suggested that Lanez wanted him dead and had allegedly offered money to anyone willing to carry out the hit. The situation escalated when Casio encountered Lanez and believed he saw a weapon in the rapper’s pocket. Fearing an imminent attack, Casio said he acted first, stabbing Lanez 14 times in what he described as an attempt to defend himself, not to kill.
Despite the severity of the incident, Casio expressed mixed emotions. While sounding somewhat remorseful, he stopped short of issuing a full apology. He also claimed to have suffered a stab wound to his leg during the altercation, which he says supports his belief that Lanez was armed.
Casio described their earlier relationship as generally cordial, noting that they had lived in adjacent cells at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi and got along prior to the conflict.
Tory Lanez sustained seven stab wounds to the back, four to the torso, and three to the head in the attack earlier this month. He was hospitalized but has since returned to prison. The incident has sparked public outcry, with figures including rapper Drake and U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to pardon Lanez, who is serving time for the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
Lanez’s legal team has dismissed Casio’s claims as “an absurd fabrication,” citing his status as a life-sentenced inmate with a history of violent offenses. In a statement, they called the attack “savage and ferocious,” emphasizing the ongoing threat Lanez faces while incarcerated. They maintain his innocence in the 2020 case and continue to advocate for his immediate release, describing his imprisonment as a “miscarriage of justice.”
