The criminal trial of rapper A$AP Rocky for shooting his former friend began Tuesday, with his attorney rejecting a second plea deal and claiming the weapon involved was actually a “prop gun.”
Rocky arrived at the courthouse and maintained his status as a fashion icon while making a high-profile entrance for the first part of his trial – selecting a jury of twelve.
Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a gold loop earring in each ear and his hair in cornrows, he walked into the courtroom flanked by his legal defense team, led by former Donald Trump attorney Joe Tacopina.
Earlier Tuesday, Rocky, 36, and his legal team had the opportunity to accept a plea deal in which he would plead guilty to one of the assault charges in exchange for a seven-year suspended sentence, 180 days in jail and three years of probation year.
The second misdemeanor charge would also have been dismissed.
The criminal trial against rapper A$AP Rocky for shooting his former friend began Tuesday in Los Angeles. In a courtroom separate from jury selection, his attorney Joe Tacopina rejected a second plea deal from the prosecutor
A$AP Rocky arrived at court on Tuesday for jury selection in his trial. Previously, his attorney had rejected a plea deal that would have put him in jail for 180 days
Terell Ephron, whose stage name is A$AP Relli, reportedly suffered an injured hand after Rocky shot him
But Tacopina declined the offer, telling LA Supreme Court Judge Mark Arnold that the gun Rocky used to shoot ex-boyfriend Terell Ephron was actually a “prop gun”: a fake firearm used in movies.
It was the second time Rocky's attorneys have rejected a plea deal for the prosecution.
After the first deal was presented last Wednesday, Tacopina told DailyMail.com, “He committed no crime” and called the LA District Attorney's case against Rocky “fundamentally weak.”
In a separate room from the plea deal hearing, the process of selecting 12 jurors, plus alternates, from a pool of more than 100 men and women was underway — expected to last two days.
After excusing about fifteen potential jurors due to practical concerns – including the fallout from the LA wildfires – Judge Arnold swore in the others.
Rocky arrived at the courthouse maintaining his reputation as a fashion icon, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a leather trench coat over a charcoal gray suit, an off-white shirt and a light gray polka dot tie
LA Supreme Court Judge Mark Arnold said no one is 'entitled to any benefit because of their status in life or how much money they have'
Judge Arnold told them: 'No one, no matter who they are, is entitled to any benefit because of their status in life or how much money they have, or similarly no one should suffer any harm because of their status in life or all the money that they may or may not have.'
He pointed the jury to Rocky – real name Rakim Mayers – and added: “Mr. Mayers is an entertainer. His stage name is A$AP rocky. His life partner is also an entertainer. Her name is Rihanna. She is a singer and actress.
“Because Mr. Mayers is an entertainer, a celebrity, it cannot harm him, nor can it benefit him.”
One judge said she was a TV executive for many years and shares a chiropractor with Rihanna.
She said, “I think I supported hip-hop artists in my profession from 1995 to 2009. I'm still attached to the community.'
Judge Arnold asked her, “Are you willing to treat Mr. Mayers like anyone else who sits in that chair?” She replied, “Of course.”
A$AP Rocky and his superstar girlfriend Rihanna were spotted in New York City on January 2
'Sir. Mayers is an entertainer,” the judge told potential jurors. 'His stage name is A$AP Rocky. His life partner is also an entertainer. Her name is Rihanna. She is a singer and actress
Tacopina told Judge Arnold that the gun Rocky used to shoot ex-boyfriend Ephron was actually a “prop gun” – a fake firearm used in movies
One juror admitted that he had Googled the case and saw a headline while they were standing in the hall, prompting Judge Arnold to say that such stories should not influence their verdict.
Judge Arnold also dismissed a prospective juror who told the court he “does not fundamentally believe in the need for a gun for private use.”
But he refused to fire another who said he was “against guns” after the potential juror admitted he “just wanted to get out of jury duty.”
Once the jury is selected, prosecutors and defense attorneys will make their opening statements in court.
Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted of both.
The charges stem from a November 2021 confrontation in Hollywood between Rocky and fellow rapper Ephron, whose stage name is A$AP Relli. He was, along with Rocky, a member of the rap group ASAP Mob that started in Harlem in 2006.
Rocky was arrested at LAX airport in April 2022 as he stepped off a private plane from Barbados, where he had been vacationing with multiple Grammy winner Rihanna, 36.
He has been free on $550,000 bail since his arrest.
Rihanna was a no-show at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday
Rocky and Rihanna share two children, RZA Athelston Mayers, two, and Riot Rose Mayers, 16 months
Rihanna – mother of Rocky's two young children – did not show up for jury selection on Tuesday.
This is despite the fact that in October she received an invitation from Judge Arnold to come to the criminal court to support her boyfriend.
During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented surveillance camera footage and testimony from Ephron and police to support their claim that Rocky pointed a gun at Ephron during the argument and then fired it at him twice, wounding his hand.
Ephron himself testified that Rocky held the gun to his stomach and said, “I'll kill you now,” before firing the bullets.
Tacopina has challenged the prosecution's case, saying there was not enough evidence that a shooting had even occurred and calling the surveillance videos and witness statements “inconclusive.”
Ephron filed a separate civil assault and battery lawsuit against Rocky, which has been stayed pending the outcome of the criminal trial.
