The rapper was found not guilty in a high stakes trial
The musician A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, had a message for the jury after they delivered a verdict of ‘not guilty’ at his trial.
As the result was read out, he leapt towards his girlfriend Rihanna, though it may be more accurate to say that he collapsed with relief in her general direction.
It was clearly an emotional moment for him, having stared down the barrel of a ‘significant jail sentence’ after rejecting a plea deal where a judge had told him he would receive no ‘special treatment’ should he go ahead with the trial.
A$AP Rocky had been on trial over allegations of firing a handgun at former friend A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, in 2021. He was arrested for it in April 2022, but the jury cleared him of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The plea deal would have meant he spent just six months in prison along with probation and a list of other conditions including community service, a suspended sentence and a year-long anger management course if he pleaded guilty to one of the counts.
Had he been found guilty, he could have been sentenced to spend up to 24 years in prison, but the musician insisted on his innocence as he said he would ‘respectfully decline’ the plea deal.
The jury felt there was reasonable doubt of his guilt and delivered their verdict of ‘not guilty’, which prompted a hugely relieved reaction from A$AP Rocky.
Embracing Rihanna after the verdict was read out, the musician told the jury ‘thank y’all for saving my life’ as he left the courtroom.
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Prosecutors claimed at the trial that in Hollywood on 6 November, 2021, the two men met and Rocky pulled a gun, firing two shots at Relli who claimed that one of the shots grazed his knuckles.
Rocky’s lawyers said the weapon had been a prop gun that only fired blanks which he fired as a warning because Relli had been attacking someone.
The jury was told that the gun being a fake was not mentioned to authorities for three years, and it was only brought up the day that jury selection began.
Jurors were also informed that they could find A$AP Rocky not guilty if they believed that he or either of the two friends that had gone along with him to the encounter with A$AP Relli were in imminent danger of injury and that reasonable force was used.
As mentioned, the verdict was not guilty, and A$AP Rocky walked out of the courthouse a free man instead of facing a very long prison sentence.
Speaking outside the court, he said: “This whole experience has been crazy for the past 4 years, I’m thankful and it’s blessed to be here right now to be a free man talking to y’all.”
Rihanna posted her own reaction online, writing: “The glory belongs to God and to God alone. Thankful, humbled by His mercy.”
