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A$AP Rocky’s assault trial began in LA on Friday (24 January), with the rapper potentially facing 24 years in prison if found guilty.
The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, is accused of firing a gun at a former friend – Relli, born Terell Ephron – in a November 2021 incident.
Mayers has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
On Tuesday, the 36-year-old declined a plea offer from prosecutors who recommended a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and 180 days in jail in exchange for a guilty plea.
Mayers, who has maintained his innocence throughout legal proceedings, could face up to 24 years in prison if he is convicted.
On the first day of the trial, which is expected to last three weeks, Mayers’ lawyer said he fired blank shots from a prop gun in order to protect his friend.
Jurors were shown CCTV, which a prosecutor argued made it clear the musician had fired a gun at Ephron outside a parking garage in Hollywood.
But Mayers’ attorney, Joe Tacopina, said in the defence opening statement that the footage is meaningless without the testimony of the accuser, Ephron, who he argued is motivated by “jealousy, lies and greed”. He told the court: “This case rises or falls on his credibility.”
He said the gun was actually a “starter pistol” that only shot blanks, and that Mayers carried it for protection, something he argued Ephron knew.
The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor is the longtime partner of Rihanna, and the two have two young sons together. It has not been confirmed whether Rihanna will appear to support him in court, but his attorney has suggested it’s unlikely.
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“He’s very protective of Rihanna and doesn’t want her anywhere near this proceeding,” Tacopina said on behalf of his client. “But that’s a family decision they’ll make.”
Mayers was arrested in 2022 at a Los Angeles airport as he and Rihanna returned from a trip to Barbados. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.
The rapper has several big projects on the horizon. He is scheduled to be one of the headliners of the LA edition of the Rolling Loud festival in March, and was announced as one of the celebrity chairs for the Met Gala, set to be held in May.
He was also cast alongside Denzel Washington in a Spike Lee-directed film, Highest 2 Lowest, slated to open in summer.
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