Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist ASAP Rocky was found not guilty of filming a former collaborator on Tuesday. Ju's judge deliberated for almost three hours in cases where he threatened to derail his career.
Rakim Mayers' 36-year-old Rocky, who was 36 years old, was assaulted two felony with a deadly weapon, after an argument with Terell Ephron, his former friend known as ASAP Relli, near the Hollywood hotel in 2021. I was faced with.
Rocky jumps into the gallery and embraces Rihanna, the singer, businessman and mother of two young sons, and after the verdict is read, she accepts lawyer Joe Takopina.
“Thank you for saving my life,” he told the ju judge.
The trial was assessed by a ju-search for the gun used in the case. Prosecutors said the defense witness who testified was a prop gun obtained in the filming of the music video instead. No guns were presented as evidence of the trial, and Rocky did not take a stand in his defense. If convicted on both counts, he faced up to 24 years in prison.
Rocky faced trial while he had some notable projects in his work. He is scheduled to be one of the headliners at the Los Angeles Stop at the Rolling Loud Festival in March, and was announced as one of the celebrity chairs at the Met Gala in May. He also stars alongside Denzel Washington in a film directed by Spikeley, which is set to open in the summer.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin asked the ju judges not to shy away from Rihanna's court appearance, which was frequently present during the 13-day trial, and attended the start of last week's debate. I did. Two young sons.
“Rocky didn't want her here,” Takopina said. “He wanted to protect her from now on. The wild horse couldn't keep her away.”
The three-week trial was the pinnacle of a dispute between former collaborators Leri and Rocky. My high school friends once belonged to the same rap group called ASAP (always striving and thriving), but their relationship was criticized. They agreed to meet on the evening of November 6th, 2021, and to clear their differences, Leli testified.
Leli claimed that Rocky had arrived in a parking garage near the W Hotel in Hollywood, along with two men, ASAP Twelvyy, born Jamel Phillips and Illz, born ASAP Illz.
Leli explained that the parties were temporarily discussing with Rocky before they parted ways. The conflict resumed a few minutes later, and Rocky pulls the gun from his waistband as Leri tried to hide behind Ilz. Leli testified that Rocky fired at him and grazing his right hand. Prosecutors presented surveillance video showing Rocky holding a gun before the shooting in support of the allegations.
“It was all like a movie. He was sharp and we took the first shot,” Leli testified.
Twelvyy and another defense witness testified that he fired a blank from a prop gun that Rocky began carrying months ago on a security advisor's recommendation, and that Leri knew it was a fake. The defense only intended to defend Rocky being physically attacked by Leri, who exaggerated the events to force him, and later sought damages in civil trials. He claimed he supported it.
Leli spent several days testifying at trial, including sitting for cross-examination of the controversy by Takopina. Leli gets irried when Takopina showed him his Instagram page in court and said he received death threats for his accusation.
At one point, Judge Mark S. Arnold asked the Animation Leri to “take it easily” and encouraged him to drink some water.
“I'm not on trial,” Leli said. “I've been here for five days dealing with this guy. I've been looking stupid for five days.”
Takopina called Leri a “perjury” during the closing Friday and labeled Leri's injuries as “knuckle scrape” that she could maintain in a fight or fall.
Thomas Gizzo, Los Angeles Police Sergeant (and the son of a cast member of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”) and one of the first authorities to arrive at the scene after the incident testified that it's difficult to determine whether a crime was found It will be done.
Police were unable to find evidence of the weapon being discharged from hospital at the scene, but Leli testified that he returned to the area later that night and recovered two 9mm shell casings.
“The police couldn't find the gun, and that was the strongest point of defense,” said Sam Bassett, a Texas-based criminal defense lawyer who represents athletes and lawmakers. .
Leri also filed a civil court case against Rocky over damages that were burdened during the shooting and a honour and loss of honor against Rocky and Takopina.
“He sued us and from today onwards I don't think it's going well,” Takopina said.
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