Rapper A$AP Rocky on Tuesday was found not guilty in his felony assault trial, leading to much celebration by him and the mother of his two children, fellow recording artist Rihanna.
The 36-year-old celeb was acquitted after being accused of firing a semi-automatic handgun at his former friend and A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli (Terell Ephron), during a fight in November 2021.
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was facing two charges of felony assault with a semi-automatic firearm, which carried a maximum sentence of up to 24 years in prison if convicted of all charges. The rapper rejected a plea deal of 180 days in jail at the start of the trial last month.
When the not guilty verdict was read, the courtroom exploded with applause and shouting as Mayers embraced his attorney.
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” the rapper told the jurors as they left the Los Angeles courtroom.
“I really want to thank the jury for making the right decision. I’m just so thankful, this is crazy right now,” Mayers added outside the courtroom.
“This whole experience has been crazy for the past four years but I’m thankful, nonetheless, I’m thankful and I’m blessed to be here right now, to be a free man talking to y’all right now,” he said.
Rihanna, who had appeared in court occasionally during the three week trial with the couple’s children RZA, 2, and Riot, 1, wrote on her Instagram Stories: “The glory belongs to God and God alone!”
“Thankful, humbled by His mercy!” she wrote, adding a praying hands emoji at the end of the post.
During closing statements, L.A. County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin told the jury not to consider Rihanna or the couple’s children while deciding the verdict.
“This is not something you’re allowed to consider,” Lewin told the jury on Friday. “We are all responsible for what we do.”
He said, “I want to make sure that no matter how famous his [partner] is, no matter how cute his kids are, no matter how much they giggle during closing arguments… he needs to be treated like any other person. Because in the end that’s what he’s entitled to.”
Prosecutors argued that Mayers shot twice in the direction of Ephron and left him with bullet-graze wounds above his knuckles. The former member of Mayers’ crew also testified that Rocky had allegedly threatened to kill him the same night, per CBS News.
Meanwhile, Mayers’ attorneys argued that he only fired blanks that evening in 2021 from a prop gun he had acquired on a music video shoot. Neither side produced a gun as evidence.
The defense accused Ephron of fabricating evidence, committing perjury, and attempting to extort Mayers.
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Rapper A$AP Rocky on Tuesday was found not guilty in his felony assault trial, leading to much celebration by him and the mother of his two children, fellow recording artist Rihanna.
The 36-year-old celeb was acquitted after being accused of firing a semi-automatic handgun at his former friend and A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli (Terell Ephron), during a fight in November 2021.
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was facing two charges of felony assault with a semi-automatic firearm, which carried a maximum sentence of up to 24 years in prison if convicted of all charges. The rapper rejected a plea deal of 180 days in jail at the start of the trial last month.
When the not guilty verdict was read, the courtroom exploded with applause and shouting as Mayers embraced his attorney.
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” the rapper told the jurors as they left the Los Angeles courtroom.
“I really want to thank the jury for making the right decision. I’m just so thankful, this is crazy right now,” Mayers added outside the courtroom.
“This whole experience has been crazy for the past four years but I’m thankful, nonetheless, I’m thankful and I’m blessed to be here right now, to be a free man talking to y’all right now,” he said.
Rihanna, who had appeared in court occasionally during the three week trial with the couple’s children RZA, 2, and Riot, 1, wrote on her Instagram Stories: “The glory belongs to God and God alone!”
“Thankful, humbled by His mercy!” she wrote, adding a praying hands emoji at the end of the post.
During closing statements, L.A. County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin told the jury not to consider Rihanna or the couple’s children while deciding the verdict.
“This is not something you’re allowed to consider,” Lewin told the jury on Friday. “We are all responsible for what we do.”
He said, “I want to make sure that no matter how famous his [partner] is, no matter how cute his kids are, no matter how much they giggle during closing arguments… he needs to be treated like any other person. Because in the end that’s what he’s entitled to.”
Prosecutors argued that Mayers shot twice in the direction of Ephron and left him with bullet-graze wounds above his knuckles. The former member of Mayers’ crew also testified that Rocky had allegedly threatened to kill him the same night, per CBS News.
Meanwhile, Mayers’ attorneys argued that he only fired blanks that evening in 2021 from a prop gun he had acquired on a music video shoot. Neither side produced a gun as evidence.
The defense accused Ephron of fabricating evidence, committing perjury, and attempting to extort Mayers.
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