A$AP Rocky Embraces Rihanna as Not Guilty Verdict is Announced in Felony Assault Trial

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a dramatic moment, A$AP Rocky leapt into the arms of Rihanna on Tuesday as a court clerk announced the not guilty verdict in his trial for two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The Los Angeles courtroom, packed with fans of the hip-hop star and his famous singer partner, erupted in joyous screams as Rocky jumped from the defense table into the gallery where Rihanna was seated between his mother and sister. The couple shared an emotional embrace, both in tears.

Video here

After a three-week trial, the jury took only three hours to deliberate before delivering the verdict that spared Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, from a potential prison sentence of over 20 years.

“Thank you all for saving my life,” he told the jurors as they exited.

In the midst of the excitement, it took some time for the clerk to announce the second not guilty verdict, though it was highly unlikely the jury would have disagreed on the charges.

“Mr. Mayers, you’re excused,” declared Judge Mark Arnold.

Just before the trial began, Rocky had rejected a prosecution offer of six months in jail, probation, and other conditions if he pleaded guilty to one count. Confident in his innocence, he chose to take his chances with a jury trial, and his gamble paid off. The jurors determined there was at least reasonable doubt regarding his guilt.

Rihanna hugged Rocky’s defense attorneys, as did Rocky himself. She attended the trial intermittently and brought their two sons—2-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and 1-year-old Riot Rose Mayers—to some of the closing arguments.

The couple had to navigate through a throng of photographers, reporters, YouTubers, and fans to reach a waiting SUV outside the courthouse after the verdict.

“This whole experience has been crazy for the past four years,” Rocky said amidst the crowd. “I’m thankful and blessed to be here right now, a free man talking to you all.”

District Attorney Nathan Hochman issued a statement respecting the jury’s decision.

“Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law, no matter their status or influence,” Hochman said. “Fame does not place anyone above the law, and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community.”

The verdict came at a peak moment in Rocky’s career, if not the height of his musical achievements. The three-time Grammy nominee, fashion icon, and actor has a busy year ahead, now free from the threat of imprisonment. He is set to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in March, serve as one of the celebrity co-chairs for the Met Gala in May, and star alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s film “Highest 2 Lowest,” scheduled for release in early summer.

Prosecutors and their witnesses claimed that Rocky had a falling out with a former friend, A$AP Relli, a member of their high school crew known as the A$AP Mob. They alleged that on November 6, 2021, the two met in Hollywood, and after a confrontation, Rocky drew a gun and fired twice at Relli, who said one shot grazed his knuckle but caused no serious injury.

Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, argued in his closing statement that Relli is “an angry pathological liar” who “committed perjury repeatedly.”

Rocky’s legal team and their witnesses maintained that he had fired a prop gun that only shoots blanks, which he had been carrying for protection after taking it from a music video set months earlier. They said he used it as a warning because Relli was attacking another member of their group.

The jury was also instructed that if they believed Rocky reasonably thought he or one of the two friends with him that night were in immediate danger of harm, and that he used reasonable force, they could find him not guilty.

The jurors left the courthouse quickly without speaking to reporters. It wasn’t clear whether they reached their verdict because they believed he was indeed carrying a prop gun or because they thought he acted in self-defense. They didn’t need to agree on their reasoning or explain it outside the jury room; they just needed to reach the same conclusion.

“They saw through this mirage of a case,” Tacopina said. “He turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent.”

In his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin urged the jurors not to let the celebrity status or family dynamics of the case influence them, suggesting that Rihanna bringing their children to the closing arguments was an attempt to sway the jury.

“You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids,” the prosecutor said. “We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.”

After the verdict, Tacopina stated outside the courthouse that “Rocky did not want her here, I will tell you that.”

He added that Rocky “wanted to shield her from this. Wild horses couldn’t keep her away.”

Rocky arrived more than 30 minutes late for the verdict reading and appeared shaken and tense while waiting.

“There was a moment when, before we heard the words from the clerk, he didn’t know if he was going to be spending the next two decades in jail or going home,” Tacopina said.

Then came the outburst of emotion and Rocky’s leap into the crowd.

“I didn’t know how athletic he was,” Tacopina remarked. “That was raw emotion, you guys got to see that. Even for us, it was insane.”

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