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Top rapper erupts in court as verdict read

A$AP Rocky was found not guilty on two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm stemming from an argument with childhood friend and bandmate Terell Ephron — also known as A$AP Relli — in 2021.

A jury in Los Angeles came to the verdict on Tuesday after five hours of deliberation.

Footage from inside the courtroom showed Rocky reacting animatedly as the verdict was read out, racing to embrace his partner, singer Rihanna. 

The rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, was facing up to 24 years in prison, but prosecutors said they were only seeking eight.

Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

Rocky’s contentious trial started in late January and lasted about three weeks.

The rapper maintained that he was innocent and pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He declined to testify on the stand.

True Crime News host Ana Garcia called Rocky’s decision to not accept a plea deal a “gamble.”

However, she told The Post earlier this month, “I think he’s got a strong case – I do believe that.”

The New York-born litigator pressed Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, on the stand during his cross-examination about his claims that Rocky fired a gun at him after a dispute in Los Angeles in 2021.

 

A$AP Rocky before the verdict was announced. Picture: Daniel Cole-Pool/Getty Images
A$AP Rocky before the verdict was announced. Picture: Daniel Cole-Pool/Getty Images

However, the rapper’s former friend maintained during the trial that “gun was pulled” on him.

He testified that the rapper pointed the gun at his stomach and then his head but it wasn’t actually touching him, adding, “It’s been three years. If he was innocent, he would be home a long time ago.”

In a heated moment, Relli shouted at Rocky, “You did this to yourself!” When reprimanded by the judge, he claimed that he reacted to the rapper “staring” at him.

Tacopina’s defence relied in part on the claim that Relli, who had been buddies with Rocky since high school, had grown jealous of the famous rapper.

 

Rihanna heads into court. Picture: AFP
Rihanna heads into court. Picture: AFP

The lawyer, 58, claimed in his opening statements that Rocky had been carrying a starter pistol with him during the time of the alleged incident that shot only blanks.

Relli was never seriously injured during the scuffle and suffered only bloody scrapes on his knuckles.

Rocky was supported during the trial by his longtime partner Rihanna, with who he shares two kids.

The global pop star, 36, showed up to the Los Angeles courthouse on multiple occasions wearing a stylish outfit and sat beside Rocky’s mother and sister inside the courtroom.

Rihanna has not commented on the final verdict. Page Six has reached out to her rep for comment.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission

Author: Eileen Reslen - Page Six

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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