A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty as his gun assault trial came to an end.
The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, stood trial in LA, after being charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon.
The 36-year-old, who shares two children with girlfriend Rihanna, was accused of firing a gun at a friend in 2021 – he pleaded not guilty, maintained his innocence and previously rejected a plea deal.
Deliberations ended in LA yesterday evening with the jury returning to the courtroom with their verdict.
As the verdict was read in the courtroom, Mayers launched over the courtroom divider to hug his supporters including Rihanna, shouting out when the ‘not guilty’ was read.
He said to the jury: ‘Thank y’all for saving my life. You’re making the right decision.’
‘Mr. Mayers, you’re excused,’ Judge Mark Arnold said.
On the eve of the trial, Mayers had turned down a prosecution offer of six months in jail alongside conditions including probation, if he would plead guilty to one count, but he maintained his innocence.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement: ‘Our office remains committed to seeking accountability for those who break the law, no matter their status or influence.
‘Fame does not place anyone above the law, and we will not waver in our pursuit of justice for victims and the community.’
Mayers had been accused of pulling a gun on his former friend, Terell Ephron, and firing the weapon in LA in 2021.
Ephron, who also goes by A$AP Relli, alleged that he was ‘lured’ to an ‘obscure location’ outside a W Hotel in LA on November 6, 2021, over a disagreement.
He claimed that Mayers then held a gun to his stomach and declared, ‘I’ll kill you right now,’ before firing at least four shots.
One is said to have hit Ephron’s hand – in a separate lawsuit, he claimed to be a victim of emotional distress, assault and battery, and negligence.
Mayers has denied all allegations and reportedly declined to take the stand in his own defense.
He claimed that he was holding a fake gun on the night in question, which he carried for security reasons.
His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, has further claimed that the starting pistol only fires blanks, while tour manager Louis Levin told the jury: ‘Security and I thought it would be a good idea, because of the prior violence.
‘It’s just a nonlethal form of self-defense.’
In his closing argument, Tacopina said Ephron is ‘an angry pathological liar’ who ‘committed perjury again and again and again and again’.
He added in a statement after the verdict: ‘They [the jury] saw through this mirage of a case. He turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent.’
He added: ‘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.
‘I didn’t know how athletic he was,’ speaking of Mayer’s reaction. ‘That was raw emotion, you guys got to see that. Even for us it was insane.’
The prop is said to have come from the set of his music video for DMB, which featured Rihanna – real name Robyn Fenty.
The Fenty Beauty mogul has been in court most days with her husband, flanked by a heavy security.
After the verdict, she wrote on Instagram: ‘The Glory belongs to God and God alone. Thankful, humbled by his mercy.’
On one instance, she arrived at the courtroom with Rza and Riot, the two children she shares with the rapper.
However, their arrival did not impress District Attorney John Lewin, who advised the jury to be swayed by their appearance.
‘This is not something you’re allowed to consider,’ he told the jury, according to People. ‘We are all responsible for what we do.
‘I want to make sure that no matter how famous his [partner] is, no matter how cute his kids are, no matter how much they giggle during closing arguments… he needs to be treated like any other person. Because in the end that’s what he’s entitled to.’
Mayers and Fenty were said to be upset by the remarks and after a break, the judge addressed the comments from the DA, telling the court: ‘From here on out, there should be no mention of Rihanna being in the courtroom or the babies being in the courtroom.’
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