In a pretty dramatic courtroom showdown, the video which has now taken over the Internet, rapper Rakim Mayers aka A$AP Rocky, walked away a free man today after a Los Angeles jury found him not guilty of two serious felony assault charges.
The case stemmed from an incident on November 6, 2021, when Terell Ephron accused the artist of firing a gun at him during a heated street argument in Hollywood, allegedly grazing his knuckles with a bullet. Facing up to 24 years behind bars, Rocky’s fate hung in the balance, until the jury delivered its verdict, clearing him of all charges.
Why was A$AP Rocky found not guilty?
A$AP Rocky was found not guilty after a high-stakes trial that spanned over two weeks, during which key testimony and conflicting accounts left the jury with reasonable doubt.
The case revolved around an altercation on November 6, 2021, between Rocky, and his former friend Terell Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli. Once close as members of the A$AP Mob collective, their relationship had soured by the time they crossed paths outside a Hollywood hotel that night.
Relli claimed Rocky fired two shots at him, grazing his knuckles, but Rocky’s defense painted a different picture. A$AP Twelvyy, another member of their crew, testified that Rocky had only fired “blanks” from a prop gun as a warning to prevent further escalation.
Strikingly, neither side could produce a gun as evidence, and the defense only argued it was fake once the trial was underway, something prosecutors called suspicious.
Jurors were shown surveillance footage and heard a witness who claimed to have heard gunfire from a distant apartment. However, gaps in the prosecution’s case, conflicting witness accounts, and the absence of physical evidence ultimately left too much uncertainty for a conviction.
Though prosecutors suggested Rocky’s team had manipulated the jury by revealing his potential 24-year sentence, a fact they were not supposed to consider, the judge dismissed the slip-up.
In the end, the jury sided with Rocky, acquitting him of all charges due to a lack of definitive proof that he had actually fired a real gun with intent to harm.
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna are over the moon with the verdict!
The courtroom erupted with cheers and applause as A$AP Rocky heard the words he had been waiting for. The moment was pure emotion. As soon as the first verdict was read, Rocky didn’t hold back, he leaped over a wooden barrier, rushing straight into the arms of his family and his partner, Rihanna. Tears welled in his eyes as he hugged his lawyers, and when the second not-guilty verdict came.
Outside the courthouse, a grateful and emotional Rocky addressed the moment, saying,
I’m thankful and blessed to be here right now, to be a free man talking to y’all
Rihanna, standing by his side literally from the day, took to Instagram to share her thoughts, writing,
The glory belongs to God and God alone. Thankful. Humbled by his mercy.
Rocky himself summed it up best when he turned to the jury and simply said, “Thank y’all for saving my life.” Though the case itself grabbed headlines, Rihanna’s consistent presence made it even more of a spectacle. She showed unwavering support for Rocky throughout the trial, and on February 13, she took it up a notch, bringing their two kids along for the closing arguments, turning the courtroom into the most talked-about place in town.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
