Jury reaches verdict in A$AP Rocky's felony assault trial in Los Angeles
A jury has reached a verdict in rapper A$AP Rocky's felony assault trial in Los Angeles Tuesday, with the verdict expected to be read later in the afternoon.Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has been on trial for nearly a month in connection with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.He is accused of opening fire and shooting in the direction of his former friend, Terell Ephron, near a Hollywood hotel in 2021.
Ephron, another former member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob who previously went by A$AP Relli, has said he was left with bullet-grazing wounds above his knuckles. He testified that Rocky had allegedly threatened to kill him before opening fire.The defense has accused Ephron of fabricating evidence, committing perjury and attempting to extort Rocky, saying the rapper had a prop gun that only fired blanks.Meanwhile, prosecutors have maintained Rocky shot at him with a genuine firearm, injuring his former friend while opening fire in a busy area of Hollywood on the evening of Nov.
6, 2021. Rocky has pleaded not guilty to both counts and has maintained his innocence through statements by his attorneys.Last month, just before the start of the trial, he turned down a plea deal from prosecutors which would have included 180 days in jail.
If he is convicted of all charges, Rocky could face a maximum possible sentence of 24 years in prison.Closing arguments were delivered last week after Ephron took the stand and testified that Rocky pulled a gun out and pointed it at him before opening fire.According to prosecutors, it was the first of two confrontations that day between Rocky and Ephron.Rihanna, who shares two children with the Grammy-nominated rapper, has appeared at the trial.
On Friday, the singer-turned-business-mogul had their 2-year-old and 1-year-old sons with her in court for the first time, the Associated Press reported. Why A$AP Rocky is on trialProsecutors allege Rocky pointed a semi-automatic handgun a...