LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky rejected a final plea offer from the prosecution of 180 days in jail and will face the possibility of a guilty verdict and years in prison as jury selection began at his trial Tuesday.
The deal offered to the 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor whose legal name is Rakim Mayers was to plead guilty to one of his two felony counts. assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Los Angeles County prosecutors would also recommend a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and six months in prison.
But Rocky told the judge he respectfully refused.
He is accused of shooting a former friend near a Hollywood hotel in 2021 and could face up to 24 years in prison if convicted. He pleaded not guilty.
Rocky’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, also revealed in court Tuesday that the defense plans to call witnesses to testify that a gun seen on security video is a “starter gun” that Rocky carried as a prop for security purposes. The strategy was not disseminated during the preliminary hearings.
A panel of more than 100 potential jurors was summoned to the downtown Los Angeles courtroom and crowded into the gallery. Opening statements will be delivered once 12 of them and their alternates are seated, likely Wednesday or later.
The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor whose legal name is Rakim Mayers is the longtime partner of Rihannaand the two have two infant sons together. It’s not entirely clear whether Rihanna will appear to support him at any point in court, but her lawyer suggested it’s unlikely. She did not attend Tuesday’s proceedings.
Rocky was named one of the famous presidents of the Met Gala in May, and plays a major role in a Spike Lee-directed film starring Denzel Washington that will be released shortly thereafter. But his life could be turned upside down by a conviction.
Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold said he plans to quickly assemble a jury and is strictly limiting the amount of time attorneys can question potential jurors.
“Mr. Mayers is an artist. His stage name is A$AP rocky. His life partner is also an artist. Her name is Rihanna,” Arnold told the prospective jurors. Because Mr. Mayers is an artist, a celebrity, this cannot harm or benefit him.
The judge allows media cameras into the hearing for the duration of the trial, after jury selection.
In 2023, another judge ruled after a preliminary hearing that Rocky should be tried for allegedly shooting a gun at Terell Ephron, a childhood friend who testified that their relationship deteriorated and a quarrel came to a head on the night of November 6, 2021. Ephron testified that bullets had grazed his knuckles.
