Rapper A$AP Rocky found not guilty in felony assault trial

A Los Angeles court found rapper A$AP Rocky "not guilty" of charges related to an attack with a semi-automatic weapon during a 2021 fight. The musician, who faced the possibility of a decades-long prison sentence, leaped from his chair upon hearing the verdict and hugged Rihanna—his partner and the mother of his two children—who was present in court with their children.

The artist, born Rakim Mayers, faced two charges stemming from an altercation with his former friend Terell Ephron. Mayers and Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, were both members of the A$AP music collective, founded in New York in 2006. However, their friendship gradually fell apart over the years.

A bullet grazed Ephron's hand

Relli claims that on the day of the altercation, he met the rapper in a Hollywood parking lot, where Mayers allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to kill him. After a heated argument, A$AP Rocky walked away but, according to Ephron, continued shouting at him before turning back and firing a shot, grazing Ephron’s hand.

During the three-week trial, the prosecution portrayed Mayers as aggressive and willing to open fire on an old friend during an argument. The defense, however, argued that Ephron was envious of Mayers' success and that his accusations were financially motivated. Mayers' attorney, Joe Tacopina, also claimed that the alleged weapon was merely a prop and not a real firearm. Neither side was able to produce the weapon in question.

A$AP's defense celebrates ruling: "It was extortion"

The jury took nearly four hours to clear the 36-year-old rapper of wrongdoing. "The bottom line is we’re grateful for the jury. They saw through this barrage of a case. We said from day one that he was innocent (...) We said from Day 1 he was innocent." Tacopina said in statements outside the courthouse door reported by AFP. As of now, neither Mayers nor Rihanna has commented on the verdict.

A$AP Rocky was arrested in April 2022 at Los Angeles International Airport upon arriving on a private plane from Barbados, where he had been vacationing with Rihanna. He was later released on bail.

Before the trial began, A$AP Rocky rejected a plea deal that would have guaranteed him a six-month jail sentence in exchange for admitting to one of the charges. Rihanna showed her support by attending court multiple times and, on Friday, shared a series of videos of the couple celebrating Valentine's Day.

A$AP's career is marked by scandals

A$AP Rocky rose to fame in 2013 with his first album "Long. Live. A$AP," and further solidified his status with "At. Long. Last. A$AP." However, in recent years, his relationship with Rihanna and various scandals have earned him more headlines than his music. 

This is not the first time A$AP Rocky has been involved in a violent incident. In July 2019, he was arrested and held for a couple of weeks following a fight in Stockholm.