On Monday, A$AP Rocky was re-arraigned in connection with his firearms assault charge. In November 2021, the “Praise the Lord” rapper (real name: Rakim Mayers) allegedly discharged a firearm at his erstwhile friend A$AP Relli on a Los Angeles street, according to a new not-guilty plea entered into by the rapper.
On March 6th, a pre-trial conference is scheduled. Although no date has been fixed for the trial, Joe Tacopina, his attorney, expressed his hope to reporters outside the courtroom that proceedings would commence in September.
Additionally, Rocky “will not consider a plea bargain” in the case, according to Tacopina. Furthermore, he stated that his client is “child as a cucumber” regarding the trial and is eager for it to be resolved “so he can return to enjoying his family.” Rocky and Rihanna, his longstanding sweetheart, have two young sons: RZA, who is one, and Riot, who is five months.
Here is everything we know about Rocky’s case, from the alleged events to the amount of prison time he is expected to serve. In addition, a crisis public relations expert provides insight into the trial’s optics, advising fashion entrepreneur and singer Rihanna to “avoid” it.
What is the reason A$AP Rocky is in court?
On January 8, the 35-year-old performer appeared for rearraignment in the criminal case at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. The charges arise from the shooting outside a Hollywood hotel on November 6, 2021, of A$AP Relli (real name: Terell Ephron), a former collaborator and friend.
Following his detention in 2022, Rocky initially entered a not-guilty plea to two counts of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm. On bail in the amount of $550,000, he was released. Rocky was present at a preliminary hearing in November, during which the evidence was summarized. Because the judge determined that there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial, he was remanded to custody.
Tacopina, an attorney for both Donald Trump and Rocky, has consistently upheld his client’s innocence, expressing confidence that Rocky will ultimately be exonerated from these allegations.
What evidence currently exists?
Relli testified at the preliminary hearing that he and Rocky, longtime friends, had a dispute regarding another friend’s demise. “They agreed to speak in person,” he stated. He asserted that Rocky, who was accompanied by two other men, threatened to murder him with a gun outside a parking garage on Hollywood Boulevard. His response was that he “was talking a bunch of shit” in return. According to him, Rocky fired four or five bullets at him before the group fled.
Relli, who suffered minor injuries including raw knuckles on several fingers caused by the gunfire, reported that an hour later he revisited the scene of the crime and recovered two 9mm cartridge casings. He explained that he awaited legal representation before calling the police two days later, at which point he surrendered the cartridges to the authorities. There were no recoverable fingerprints on the casings.
The prosecution presented surveillance footage that depicted the area prior to and subsequent to the purported gunshot.
