Prosecution, defense clash over gun claims in A$AP Rocky trial

The American rapper, Rakim Mayers, popularly known as A$AP Rocky, has reached the closing stages of his felony assault trial in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday night, February, 2025.

The case centred on a November 2021 incident where Mayers allegedly fired a semiautomatic firearm at his former friend and A$AP Mob member, Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli.

Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, asserting that the weapon in question was a prop gun used during a music video shoot. If convicted, A$AP Rocky may face up to 24 years in prison.

Throughout the three-week trial, both the prosecution and defense presented contrasting narratives. The prosecution, led by Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, argued that Rocky intentionally fired a real firearm at Ephron, emphasising that jurors should disregard the celebrity’s status and personal life, including his relationship with singer Rihanna and their two young children RZA and Riot.

READ ALSO: ASAP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty in Friend Shooting Case

Lewin also suggested that the presence of A$AP Rocky’s family in the courtroom, particularly when Rihanna brought their 2-year-old and 1-year-old sons during closing arguments, was an attempt to sway the jury emotionally. He stated, “You are not allowed to consider how this might affect Rihanna and his kids. We are all responsible for our own actions in the world.”

The defense

The defense, represented by attorney Joe Tacopina, contended that the gun was a non-lethal prop and that Ephron was the aggressor in the altercation. Tacopina presented text messages from Ephron, allegedly urging Rocky to engage in a physical confrontation, which Ephron later deleted.

He equally argued that Ephron’s testimony was unreliable, highlighting inconsistencies and suggesting that Ephron fabricated the story out of jealousy and financial motives.
Tacopina questioned Ephron’s credibility, when he stated, “If you had to make a decision, the most important in your life or that of your family’s, on his word, would you do it?”

Notably, A$AP Rocky chose not to testify in his defense, invoking his Fifth Amendment right. The defense rested its case without his testimony, a strategic decision often made to avoid potentially damaging cross-examination.

The jury, composed of seven women and five men, received the case late Friday and is scheduled to begin deliberations on Tuesday, following a three-day weekend.