The jury has declared that A$AP Rocky is not guilty of firing shots at his former friend. The acquittal was the result of a three-week courtroom ordeal that would have separated the musician from his billionaire girlfriend and children for over two decades if he was found guilty. Rocky’s acquittal led to cheers in the courtroom as he thanked his fans and jurors for saving his life and giving him a new life.
Jury Declares A$AP Rocky Not Guilty
A$AP Rocky walked free on Tuesday, February 18, after a jury said he was not guilty of shooting at a friend with malicious intent. Rocky was on the stand for allegedly shooting at an old friend in November 2021 during a confrontation. The three-week trial in a Los Angeles courtroom was held to determine whether A$AP Rocky was guilty of two counts of using a semi-automatic firearm or not. After the not-guilty verdict was read, A$AP Rocky jumped over a bench to hug Rihanna.
He also hugged his lawyer and then jumped into the audience to hug other supporters as the courtroom cheered.
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” Rocky told the 12-person jury.
Outside the courtroom, he thanked God for the acquittal and said he was grateful to be free. The plaintiff, Relli, has filed a civil lawsuit against Rocky. Meanwhile, LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his department respected the jury’s decision.
A$AP Relli Accused Rocky Of Injuring Him
A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli were high school friends who joined the same rap group. Later, they became part of the A$AP hip-hop Mob. The lawsuit and subsequent trial that resulted in a not-guilty verdict for A$AP Rocky stemmed from a heated argument that allegedly almost turned deadly between them. According to court proceedings, Rocky and Relli, born Terell Ephron, were arguing over the funeral expenses of a mutual friend who died in New York when a fight broke out.
Relli testified that Rocky had promised to cover the cost of flying the body home. However, their discussion turned into a confrontation. He claimed that Rocky fired two shots directly at him, one of which grazed his knuckles. Relli said he suffered a minor injury from the attack. He was represented by attorneys Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez, Johnny Depp’s former lawyers who represented him during his 2022 defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
A$AP Rocky Fired A Prop Gun
Meanwhile, A$AP Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, got the jury to deliver a not-guilty verdict. He argued that the rapper fired a prop gun in self-defense. His team claimed that Rocky used the gun in a music video and had kept it with him ever since for protection. They claimed he used it to scare off Relli, who was attacking two of his friends. They also claimed that the gun only fired blanks, so he didn’t intend to harm Relli. The entire prosecution and defense was built on this argument.
“Was it a real gun, or was it a fake gun? Nothing else is in dispute,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec asked jurors during his closing statement.
He also expressed discomfort over A$AP Rocky and Rihanna’s status within the entertainment industry, noting that they could cancel Relli if they chose to. However, in his closing statement, Tacopina claimed Relli was after money.
“This is a man whose tongue is a stranger to the truth. The important facts he gave you turned out to be lies,” he said.
A$AP Rocky faced 24 years in jail if he didn’t get the not guilty verdict from the jury, as he turned down a six-month plea deal with conditions. His acquittal makes him free to be with his family again. Hopefully, he will stay out of trouble from now.
#Clique, what do you think of the jury’s verdict in A$AP Rocky’s criminal case? Let us know in the comments.
