A$AP Rocky Celebrates Not Guilty Verdict with Rihanna After Assault Trial

A$AP Rocky, also known as Rakim Mayers, was overcome with emotion Tuesday after a Los Angeles jury found him not guilty on two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. As the clerk read the verdict, Rocky leapt from the defense table into the arms of his partner, Rihanna. The courtroom, packed with fans, erupted into cheers as the couple embraced, crying with relief.

After a three-week trial, the jury deliberated for just three hours before delivering the verdict, which saved Rocky from a potential prison sentence of more than 20 years.

"Thank y’all for saving my life," Rocky told the jurors as they left the courtroom.

The verdict came after Rocky rejected a plea deal the day before the trial began, which offered him six months in jail and probation in exchange for a guilty plea. Rocky chose to go to trial, maintaining his innocence, and the jury found reasonable doubt in his case.

Rihanna, visibly emotional, hugged the defense team as she and Rocky celebrated. She had attended the trial on and off, bringing their two young children — RZA, 2, and Riot, 1 — to some of the closing arguments.

This verdict comes at a pivotal moment in Rocky's career. The Grammy-nominated artist, fashion mogul, and actor has a packed year ahead. He is set to headline the Rolling Loud music festival in March, co-chair the Met Gala in May, and star alongside Denzel Washington in the film Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee.

The prosecution argued that Rocky had a confrontation with former friend A$AP Relli in Hollywood on November 6, 2021. After a scuffle, they claimed Rocky pulled out a gun and fired twice at Relli, who later said one shot grazed his knuckle, though he wasn’t seriously hurt.

In contrast, Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, called Relli "an angry pathological liar" who lied repeatedly in his testimony. The defense argued that Rocky had a prop gun that only fired blanks, which he had carried for security purposes since using it in a music video months earlier. They claimed Rocky fired the gun as a warning when Relli was attacking another member of their crew.

Despite the three years that had passed since the incident, no mention of the prop gun was made to authorities until the day jury selection began. The jury was told that if they believed Rocky reasonably thought he or his friends were in imminent danger, and he used reasonable force in response, they could acquit him.

It wasn’t clear if the jury sided with the defense’s argument that Rocky was carrying a prop gun or that he acted in self-defense. They didn’t have to explain their reasoning but only needed to reach a unanimous decision.

Rocky chose not to testify during the trial.

During closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin urged the jury to focus on the facts and not be swayed by the celebrity aspects of the case, including Rihanna’s presence with their children. He argued that their emotional presence could have influenced the jury's decision.

Outside the courthouse, Tacopina commented that Rocky had not wanted Rihanna at the trial, but that she had refused to stay away. "I can’t imagine this has been anything but a life-altering experience for them," Tacopina said. "Wild horses couldn’t keep her away."