A$AP Rocky blows off last minute bid to cut a plea deal in shooting case
A$AP Rocky’s lawyer says he’s “not interested” in making a deal with prosecutors, less than a week before he goes on trial for the alleged shooting of a former bandmate and friend.
Lawyers for both sides met on Wednesday to possibly reach an agreement on a settlement. But his lawyers and prosecutors were unable to reach an agreement.
The trial will take place on January 21, starting with the selection of a twelve-member jury.
Superstar Rihanna’s 36-year-old boyfriend Rocky – who did not attend a hearing in criminal court in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday – has pleaded not guilty to two charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The rapper faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted of both.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys Joe Tacopina and Sara Caplan met in LA Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold’s chambers before Wednesday’s hearing to discuss a possible “settlement deal.”
A$AP Rocky is ‘not interested’ in making a deal with prosecutors, less than a week before he goes on trial for the alleged shooting of a former bandmate and friend
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were spotted in New York City on January 2. The trial will take place on January 21 with the selection of a jury of twelve people.
Attorney Joe Tacopina (left) met with prosecutors in the judges’ chambers before Wednesday’s hearing to discuss a possible “settlement deal.” Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told DailyMail.com that no deal has been made
The idea was for Rocky to plead guilty to a lesser charge and thus avoid a trial expected to last three weeks.
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told DailyMail.com after the meeting outside the courtroom: “We discussed the possibility of a settlement, but no specific offer was made.”
Rocky’s lawyer Tacopina indicated his client is not interested in making a deal with prosecutors, telling DailyMail.com: “He has not committed a crime.”
He called the prosecution’s case “fundamentally weak,” adding: “Ten police officers searched the crime scene and found no shell casings there.”
When asked if Rocky will testify at his trial, Tacopina said, “I wouldn’t make a decision like that before the trial. But he wants to tell his story.’
The lawyer – who represented Donald Trump in high-profile cases involving Stormy Daniels and E. Jean Carroll – said he did not know whether Rihanna will be at the trial to support the father of her two young children.
The charges stem from an altercation in Hollywood in November 2021 between Rocky and fellow rapper A$AP Relli, who with Rocky was a member of the rap group ASAP Mob that started in Harlem in 2006.
LA Supreme Court Judge Mark Arnold asked Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, if the rapper was legally married to Rihanna, but Tacopina said he didn’t know
Judge Arnold invited Rihanna to attend the trial last October. But during Wednesday’s pre-trial hearing, the nature of her relationship with Rocky became an issue.
When the judge asked whether Rihanna should be called Rocky’s “common law wife,” Tacopina replied, “Just wife, your honor.”
But when Judge Arnold asked him, “Are they legally married somewhere?” Tacopina replied, “I don’t know.”
Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said at the time that if the two are not legally married, the prosecutor would prefer to call them “partners or significant others” at trial. The judge agreed.
The charges against Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, stemmed from a November 2021 confrontation in Hollywood between him and fellow rapper Terell Ephron.
Ephron’s stage name is A$AP Relli. He was a member of the rap collective ASAP Mob that started with Rocky in Harlem, New York in 2006.
Judge Arnold invited Rihanna to the criminal court in October to support her boyfriend during his jury trial, but Tacopina said he did not know if the superstar would attend.
Police completed their search of Rocky’s LA home in April 2022 and detectives left the property with a box full of evidence
At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented surveillance camera footage and testimony from Ephron and police to support their claims that Rocky pointed a gun at Ephron during the argument and then fired it at him twice, injuring 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, calling the surveillance video evidence and witness statements “inconclusive.”
Ephron has filed a separate civil assault and battery lawsuit in which his attorneys said Rocky “pulled out a gun and purposefully pointed it in (Ephron’s) direction and fired multiple shots.”
Adding that Ephron was “in fear of his life,” the suit said he was “struck by bullet projectiles/fragments” that left him with injuries that required medical attention.
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, also 36.
A$AP Relli himself testified that Rocky held the gun to his stomach and said, “I’ll kill you now,” before firing the bullets
If the rapper’s jury verdict goes against him in his criminal case, organizers of New York’s Met Gala in May could look for a replacement co-host, as he is scheduled to do so .
Police held him for a few hours on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, then released him on $550,000 bail and sent the case to LA’s district attorney for prosecution.
It wasn’t until the following August that District Attorney George Gascon decided the charges were serious enough to insist on misdemeanor status, rather than misdemeanor status, which would have only meant a maximum of one year in prison for each charge.
Rocky is subject to a protective order requiring him to stay at least 100 feet away from Ephron – who is also suing Rocky and Tacopina for defamation.
In that defamation case, Ephron’s attorneys allege that Rocky and Tacopina, in their defense of the civil assault case, defamed and slandered Ephron — falsely accusing him of being a “liar, money grabber and extortionist.”
Tacopina dismissed the defamation lawsuit as nothing more than a “publicity stunt” and asked the court to postpone the case until after the crimes against Rocky had been decided by a jury.
Ephron’s civil assault lawsuit against Rocky has already been stayed pending the outcome of the criminal trial.
If the jury’s verdict in his criminal trial goes against him, the organizers of the Met Gala in New York in May could look for a replacement for fashion icon Rocky.
The rapper will co-host the glittering event alongside LeBron James, musician Pharrell Williams, Formula 1 CEO Lewis Hamilton and actor and playwright Colman Domingo.