Niamh Shackleton
A$AP Rocky shared a heartfelt message with the jury after he was found not guilty of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
In 2021, A$AP Rocky allegedly fired a handgun at a former friend, Terell Ephron, on a Hollywood street.
On the day in question (November 6, 2021), it was claimed there was a scuffle when Rocky pulled the gun and allegedly fired twice at Ephron, who said one of the shots grazed his knuckle but was not seriously hurt.
Ephron, who also goes by A$AP Relli, was a childhood friend of the rapper's, but the pair are said to have drifted apart then Rocky's career took off.
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Ephron was described as 'an angry pathological liar' who 'committed perjury again and again and again and again', by lawyer Joe Tacopina, Rocky's attorney.
Their 2021 fallout and the charges Rocky was facing could have landed him a sentence of 24 years in prison if he had been convicted, but a jury found him not guilty.
He received the verdict of not guilty in a Los Angeles court yesterday (February 18).
After the verdict was read, the 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion mogul, and burgeoning actor dove into the courtroom gallery to hug his long-time partner and mother of his two children, Rihanna.
Addressing the jury afterwards, Rocky said: "Thank y’all for saving my life."
Rihanna also spoke out after the verdict via Instagram. She said on her Story: "The glory belongs to God and God alone. Thankful, humbled by his mercy!"
On the eve of trial, Rocky had turned down a prosecution offer of just six months in jail, along with probation and other conditions, if he would plead guilty to one count.
Insisting on his innocence, Rocky decided to gamble that a jury would feel the same, which paid off; the jurors felt at least that there was reasonable doubt of his guilt.
Rocky has a huge year ahead of him in terms of his career — something he'll now be able to carry out without the fear of prison time looming.
Rocky, a three-time Grammy nominee, is scheduled to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in March. He is also one of the celebrity co-chairs of fashion’s biggest night, the Met Gala, on the first Monday in May.
He is also set to star with Denzel Washington in director Spike Lee’s film Highest 2 Lowest, expected to be released in early summer.