A$AP Rocky’s six words to jurors after acquittal in assault trial

Table of Contents

He leapt with joy into the lap of his superstar partner Rhianna after being found not guilty of a serious crime at his court trial on Tuesday.

courtroom.

It's no ordinary life they sent him off to when they swiftly returned not guilty verdicts on two counts of serious assault with a semi-automatic pistol.

If the verdict had gone the other way, he could have walked free, but would have had to wait in custody for a lengthy jail term.

said.

Rocky's had a ripper of a year, with a lot of fame and glamour coming his way, and he's now able to enjoy it all.

In the same city where he was cleared of all charges, he'll be in the spotlight as the main act at the Rolling Loud music festival next month. On the other side of the country, he'll be rubbing shoulders with the fashion elite at the Met Gala, where he's been named co-chair alongside LeBron James and Pharrell Williams in May. And come summer, he'll add another credit to his acting resume, starring alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's upcoming film "Highest 2 Lowest".

The trial occurred at the peak of his fame, if not the crowning achievement of a music career that started with high praise in his home state of New York and later resulted in two No. 1 albums and three Grammy nominations.

It would've been an easy and perhaps a smart move for him to have taken a relatively lenient pre-trial deal: just six months in the slammer, plus probation and other conditions, in exchange for a guilty plea on one charge.

He knocked back the offer, saying he'd rather face a three-week trial and the possibility of a 24-year prison sentence, which would mean he'd have to spend the foreseeable future away from Rihanna and their kids, two-year-old RZA Athelston Mayers and one-year-old Riot Rose Mayers.

“He knocked back a plea for a nearly non-existent jail sentence because he was innocent," Tacopina said.

They're moving on. They've got heaps of great things happening in their careers. Rocky's really killing it right now. Rihanna's on top of the world. They've got two gorgeous kids and a family.

Rocky and Rihanna fought their way through a swarm of snappers, hack journalists, YouTube personalities and fans to get into a waiting ute.

“Fair dinkum, I'm stoked to be here right now, to be a free bloke having a chinwag with you all,” he said with a grin.

When the verdict was read a few minutes ago, the courtroom packed with fans erupted into ecstatic cheers as Rocky rushed over to where Rihanna was sitting with his mum and sister.

“Mr Mayers, you're free to go,” Judge Mark Arnold said a little later, with the post-trial hearings, appeals and sentencing now no longer relevant.

Rihanna slipped into the courtroom after the rest of the public had taken their seats, as she had done several times during the three-week trial, bringing her sons with her to the final arguments.

Rocky had been more than 30 minutes late for the verdict reading, and looked shaken and tense as he waited for it.

Then came the decision, the jump, and the freedom.

He didn't know how athletic he was," Tacopina said. "That was a genuinely emotional display, you blokes had a good look at it.

Prosecutors and their witnesses claimed Rocky had a beef with an old mate, A$AP Relli, who was part of their crew, the A$AP Mob, since high school. They said Rocky and Relli met in Hollywood on November 6, 2021, and after a scrap involving other old mates, A$AP Twelvyy and A$AP Illz, Rocky pulled out a gun and fired twice at Relli. Relli said one of the shots grazed his knuckle but didn't leave him seriously injured.

Rocky's lawyers and witnesses said he had used a prop gun that only shoots blanks, which he'd been carrying for security since taking it from a music video set months prior. They portrayed Relli as a dishonest opportunist who went to the police solely for financial gain, as he'd also filed a separate civil claim that's currently being considered.

The jurors were also told that if they found that Rocky reasonably thought he or one of the two blokes with him that night were in danger of getting hurt, and that he used reasonable force, they could find the defendant not guilty.

It's not clear which way the jurors swung to clear him, only that they didn't go along with the prosecution's case. They reached a unanimous verdict in just three hours.

"The jury saw through it and delivered an extremely swift and prompt verdict, the correct verdict," Tacopina said.

Rocky said outside court that after getting him off, Tacopina, whose other clients have included baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and US President Donald Trump, should join his team.

“A$AP Joe!” he shouted.

The District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, said he had a lot of respect for the jury's decision.

“Our office stays committed to making sure people who break the law are held accountable, no matter who they are or how famous they are,” Hochman said in a statement. “Being a celebrity doesn't give anyone a free pass, and we'll keep going after those responsible for hurting victims and the community.”

True blue Aussies are independent thinkers who don't fit into traditional moulds. They're about attitude, not age or background. In this crazy world where everyone's got their own view, communities are looking for a news brand they can rely on – one that gives it to them straight, no sugarcoating. With the facts and the lowdown, these independent blokes and sheilas are empowered to stand up for what they believe in.