Rapper A$AP Rocky received a not guilty verdict in his shooting trial
A$AP Rocky’s emotional leap into the court gallery after learning he’d been found not guilty has been caught on camera.
The 36-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faced up to 24 years behind bars if found guilty of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm against A$AP Relli during an alternation in November 2021.
Relli, real name Terell Ephron, had accused his former friend of shooting two bullets at him, grazing his knuckle.
Rocky denied both charges and refused to accept a plea bargain, which would have reduced the jail sentence to six months if he’d plead guilty to one of the charges, claiming the gun had been a prop and that Relli had allegedly been motivated by money.
A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, faced two felony charges (Allison Dinner – Pool/Getty Images)
The trial ultimately went Rocky’s way, with the jury returning a not guilty verdict after a three hour deliberation.
Rocky was overcome with emotion after learning that he’d been spared a prison sentence and leapt into the court gallery where his partner Rihanna, who’d attended the trial occasionally with their two sons, and family were sitting in order to embrace them.
In the footage, the rapper looked visibly nervous as the judge read out the verdict and appeared to nearly collapse after learning he would be a free man, grabbing his attorneys for support.
Rocky’s family erupted in cheers in the front row of the gallery before he jumped into the crowd and tightly embraced the ‘Diamonds’ singer, who appeared to be sobbing.
Watch the emotional moment below:
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” the rapper then told the jurors (via Associated Press).
“This whole experience has been crazy for the past 4 years,” Rocky later addressed crowds of fans and reporters waiting outside of the Los Angeles courthouse. “I’m thankful and it’s blessed to be here right now to be a free man talking to y’all.”
Meanwhile, Rihanna shared her gratitude on social media, writing the following statement on her Instagram Stories: “The glory belongs to God and to God alone. Thankful, humbled by His mercy.”
She signed the statement off with a praying hands emoji to signify her gratitude.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky shared a tight hug after the verdict was read out (KTLA 5)
Speaking about the trial after the verdict, Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina told reporters that jurors had seen through the ‘mirage of a case’ against his client.
“There was a moment when before we heard the words from the clerk, he didn’t know if he was going to be spending the next two decades in jail or going home,” he continued (via KKTV), before going on to add that Rocky’s rockstar jump into the crowd took him by surprise.
“I didn’t know how athletic he was,” Tacopina added. “That was raw emotion, you guys got to see that. Even for us it was insane.”
Featured Image Credit: KTLA 5
Rihanna breaks silence after boyfriend A$AP Rocky found not guilty in felony shooting trial
A$AP Rocky was found not guilty on all counts in his felony shooting trial
Rihanna has spoken out after boyfriend A$AP Rocky received a not guilty verdict in his felony shooting trial.
A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, potentially faced a 10 to 24 year jail sentence if found guilty of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm against his former friend A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, in connection with a shooting which took place in November 2021.
Relli accused the rapper of shooting him during an argument, with the bullet grazing his knuckle, however, Rocky denied the claims and said the gun was a prop, while also alleging that his former mate was after money, the BBC reports.
Rocky declined to accept a plea bargain which would’ve seen him receive a six-month jail sentence and probation in return for pleading guilty to one of the charges.
Fortunately for the American rapper, he was found not guilty on all charges and left the Los Angeles court a free man.
The rapper appeared jubilant after receiving a not guilty verdict (DUTCH/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
According to a report from MailOnline, the ‘Disturbia’ singer was in attendance for the verdict and appeared overcome with emotion at the news.
She could be seen visibly sobbing as she and the singer embraced in the court gallery, as Rocky told the jurors (via AP): “Thank y’all for saving my life.”
The couple were then greeted by a flurry of fans and reporters outside the court, where Rocky briefly addressed the crowd before leaving.
“This whole experience has been crazy for the past 4 years,” he said. “I’m thankful and it’s blessed to be here right now to be a free man talking to y’all.”
Rihanna has now broken her silence publicly, and celebrated the news by sharing a brief statement via her Instagram Stories.
“The glory belongs to God and to God alone,” the 36-year-old wrote, adding: “Thankful, humbled by His mercy.”
She signed the statement off with a praying hands emoji to signify her gratitude.
The singer shared a heartfelt and thankful message after the verdict (Instagram/@badgalriri)
Rocky and Rihanna have been in a relationship since 2020 and share two sons, 2-year-old RZA Athelston and 1-year-old Riot Rose, with the singer even bringing the children to court during the closing arguments of the trial.
Her presence at her partner’s trial received press attention throughout the trial, with Rocky’s defence lawyer Joe Tacopina stating that he had wanted to ‘wanted to shield [Rihanna] from’ court proceedings but wild horses couldn’t keep her away’.
Speaking about the trial after the verdict, Tacopina added (via Metro): “They [the jury] saw through this mirage of a case. He turned down a plea for almost no jail time because he was innocent.
“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.”
Featured Image Credit: UTCH/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Topics: Celebrity, Rihanna, Celebrity News
