Rapper A$AP Rocky has been acquitted of felony assault charges following a high-profile trial in Los Angeles.
A jury delivered the not-guilty verdict on Tuesday, February 18, after just three hours of deliberation.
Upon hearing the verdict, the hip-hop artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, turned and embraced his jubilant supporters, even falling in the process. “Thank y’all for saving my life,” he told jurors as they exited the courtroom.
Mayers, 36, had faced two felony charges for assault with a semiautomatic firearm. If convicted, he could have received up to 24 years in prison.
Mayers had rejected a prosecution plea deal of six months in jail, probation, and other conditions in exchange for pleading guilty to one count.
Prosecutors accused Mayers of firing two shots at his former friend and fellow A$AP Mob member, A$AP Relli (real name Terrell Ephron), during a confrontation on a Hollywood street on November 6, 2021. Ephron, the prosecution’s key witness, testified that one shot grazed his knuckles, though he was otherwise unharmed.
The defense argued that Mayers had fired blanks from a prop gun used on a music video set, presenting testimony from two of the rapper’s inner circle. Mayers’ attorney, Joe Tacopina, accused Ephron of being “an angry pathological liar” who “committed perjury repeatedly.”
Mayers’ partner, Rihanna, attended much of the trial alongside their two children, 2-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and 1-year-old Riot Rose Mayers. Deputy District Attorney John Lewin argued that their presence during closing arguments was intended to influence the jury.
“They brought in two adorable children… Why would children that age be here in a situation like this?” Lewin stated. He reminded the jury to base their decision solely on the evidence presented.
Following the not-guilty verdict, Rihanna cried and hugged the defense team. She later posted on Instagram Stories: “The glory belongs to God and God alone! Thankful, humbled by his mercy.”
