A$AP Rocky is facing a sizeable prison sentence according to a judge, after he turned down a second plea deal.
The American rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday (21 January).
Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec informed Judge Mark S. Arnold that his office had offered a plea deal to the musician, as long as the 36-year-old admitted to the first count of assault.
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The crime could put the star behind bars for anywhere between 10 to 24 years.
Rolling Stone reported on the exchange between Rocky and Judge Arnold, after the latter asked if he had reviewed the plea deal with his team, on the first day of his trial.
“Yeah, they spoke to me about it detail, Your Honour. I respectfully decline, thank you,” Rocky replied.
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The judge highlighted: “You’re not going to get any special treatment. Your status as an entertainer, your status as the significant other of Rihanna, that’s not going to inure to your benefit, and it’s not going to inure to your harm.”
He went on: “You are aware that if convicted, you will go into custody and it’s very likely you will get a significant prison sentence?”
The 'Sundress' rapper replied: “Yes, Your Honour, I’m well aware.”
What is A$AP Rocky accused of?
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The artist has been charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection with a shooting that took place in November 2021.
Rocky was arrested in April 2022 after being accused of assaulting former friend A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, in the incident.
Deputy District Attorney's plea deal offered Rocky three years probation, a seven-year suspended jail sentence, 480 hours of community service, and a 52-week anger management course, as long as he pleaded guilty to the first count of assault.
The trial is expected to last around three weeks, after a preliminary hearing in 2023 determined that there was sufficient evidence for a trial to go ahead.
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Rocky originally met Relli in high school in New York, with the latter set to be the trial's most important witness, later forming music group A$AP with several other members in the mid-2000s.
Relli said that they grew apart as Rocky became more famous, though their ruptured relationship came to a boil on 6 November 2021, where he claimed that he was shot at three or four times by his former friend.
He brought the shell casings to the police after shots allegedly grazed his knuckles.
Could A$AP Rocky go to jail?
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The artist could be looking at up to 24 years of jail time, though Rocky claims that he was just carrying a 'prop gun' and not a loaded pistol on the night, claiming that Relli faked the shooting to get money out of him.
He also claimed that they were arguing about Rocky's alleged decision to go back on paying for a friend's funeral.
A$AP Twelvyy, real name Jamel Da'Shawn Phillips, and Rocky's tour manager were brought in to back up Rocky's claims, though prosecutors claimed they were only told about this defence the night prior, calling it a 'straight ambush'.
The verdict will rely on how much the jurors believe Relli, as police officers that investigated the Hollywood pavement following reports of shots fired, found no shell casings.
There were also no fingerprints found on the casings, and no 9mm pistol found when a search warrant was served on the accused Rocky.
Rocky's lawyer revealed that he has not yet decided if he will testify in court, which he can avoid.
CCTV footage showed a man in a hooded sweatshirt whose face was not visible while holding what looks to be a gun, while another image showed the man's face, which was determined to be Rocky, though without a gun.
Who are the key players in A$AP Rocky’s trial?
There are a number of celebrities that could be involved in the trial, despite not being directly part of it.
This includes President Donald Trump, who claimed that he was trying to free Rocky and bring him back to the US after he was jailed following an assault in Sweden in 2019.
Unfortunately, Trump will not be able to pardon Rocky if he is convicted, as he has no power over these proceedings.
The other huge name is Rocky's partner and mother of his children Rihanna, as Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold asked the defence at a hearing in October: "The mother of his children is she going to be here? She’s welcome to be here whenever she wants I’d just like to know.”
Tacopina verified: "He’s very protective of Rihanna and doesn’t want her anywhere near this proceeding, but that’s a family decision they’ll make."
He further added that he has no intention of bringing her name up during trial.
Judge Arnold made the rare move to allow cameras in court for nearly the whole trial, an uncommon move compared to normal LA County courts.
Tacopina, who has represented other hip-hop names such as Meek Mill and YG, stated: “I believe that the public deserves to see what goes on in the courtroom.”
This isn't the first time the rapper has experienced legal trouble - he was arrested in Sweden in July 2019 for simple assault in Stockholm, following an altercation in the street against a man and another person, along with three of his entourage.
He was convicted of assault, given a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay $1,270 in damages to the victim, though did not serve any further jail time after being kept behind bars for a month before the sentence.
Joshua Nair