By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-16 01:06:37 | Updated at 2025-01-16 04:52:23
3 hours ago
A$AP Rocky's lawyer says 'he's not interested' in cutting a deal with the prosecution, less than a week before he goes to trial for the alleged shooting of a former band-mate and friend.
Lawyers on both sides got together on Wednesday to potentially come to an agreement on a plea deal. But his defense attorneys and prosecutors were unable to reach an agreement.
The trial is scheduled to go ahead on January 21, starting with the selection of a 12-person jury.
Superstar Rihanna's boyfriend, Rocky, 36 – who was not present at a trial readiness hearing at a downtown Los Angeles criminal court on Wednesday - has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The rapper is facing up to 24 years in prison if convicted of both.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys Joe Tacopina and Sara Caplan met in the chambers of LA Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold to talk about a possible 'settlement deal' before Wednesday's hearing.
A$AP Rocky is 'not interested' in cutting a deal with the prosecution, less than a week before he goes to trial for the alleged shooting of a former band-mate and friend
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were seen in New York City on January 2. The trial is scheduled to go ahead on January 21 with the selection of a 12-person jury
Defense attorney Joe Tacopina (left) met with prosecutors in the judges' chambers to talk about a possible 'settlement deal' before Wednesday's hearing. Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told DailyMail.com no deal was made
The idea was that Rocky would plead guilty to a lesser charge and avoid a trial that's expected to take up to three weeks.
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told DailyMail.com outside the courtroom after the meeting: 'We discussed the possibility of a settlement but no specific offer was made.'
Rocky's attorney Tacopina indicated that his client is not interested in making a deal with prosecutors, telling DailyMail.com: 'He did not commit a crime.'
Calling the prosecution's case 'fundamentally weak', he added: 'Ten police officers searched the scene and didn't find shell casings there.'
When asked if Rocky will testify at his trial, Tacopina said: 'I wouldn't make a decision like that before trial. But he is eager to tell his story.'
The defense attorney – who repped Donald Trump in high-profile cases involving Stormy Daniels and E. Jean Carroll – said he didn't know if Rihanna will be at the trial to support the father of her two young children.
The charges stem from an altercation in Hollywood in November 2021 between Rocky and fellow rapper A$AP Relli who was a member with Rocky in the ASAP Mob rap group that started in Harlem in 2006
LA Superior 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 at Wednesday's trial readiness hearing, the nature of her relationship with Rocky became an issue.
When the judge asked if Rihanna should be referred to as Rocky's 'common-law wife,' Tacopina replied: 'Just wife, your honor.'
But when Judge Arnold asked him 'Are they legally married somewhere then?' Tacopina answered, 'I don't know'.
Deputy District Attorney John Lewin at that point said that if the two are not legally married, then during the trial the prosecution would prefer to call them 'partners or significant others.' The judge agreed.
The charges against Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, stemmed from a confrontation in Hollywood in November 2021 between him and fellow rapper Terell Ephron.
Ephron's stage name is A$AP Relli. He was a member of the ASAP Mob rap collective that started in Harlem, New York, in 2006 alongside Rocky.
Judge Arnold invited Rihanna in October to come to criminal court to support her boyfriend at his jury trial, but Tacopina said he didn't know if the superstar would be there
Cops wrapped up their search at Rocky's L.A. home in April 2022 and detectives left the property with a box full of evidence
At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented surveillance camera footage and testimony from Ephron and cops to support their allegations that during the argument, Rocky pointed a handgun at Ephron, then fired it twice toward him - injuring his hand.
Ephron himself testified that Rocky held the gun to his stomach and said 'I'll kill you right now,' before firing off rounds.
Tacopina has challenged the prosecution's case, saying there wasn't enough proof that a shooting had even happened and called the surveillance video evidence and witness testimony 'inconclusive'.
Ephron has filed a separate civil assault and battery lawsuit in which his attorneys said that Rocky 'pulled out a handgun and purposefully pointed it in the direction of (Ephron) and fired multiple shots'.
Adding that Ephron was 'in fear for his life,' the suit said that he was 'struck by bullet projectile/fragments' causing him injuries that required medical attention.
Rocky was arrested in April 2022 at LAX airport as he stepped off a private plane from Barbados where he had been on vacation with multiple Grammy-winner Rihanna, also 36.
A$AP Relli himself testified that Rocky held the gun to his stomach and said 'I'll kill you right now,' before firing off rounds
If the rapper's jury's verdict in his criminal trial goes against him, the organizers of New York's Met Gala in May could be looking for a replacement for co-host since he's scheduled for it
Cops held him for a few hours on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, then released him on the $550,000 bail and sent the case to LA's District Attorney to prosecute.
It wasn't till the following August that then DA George Gascon decided that the charges were serious enough to press for felony status, rather than misdemeanor, which would have meant only a maximum of one year jail time for each count.
Rocky is subject to a protective order demanding that he stays at least 100 feet away from Ephron – who is also suing Rocky and Tacopina for defamation.
In that defamation case, Ephron's lawyers claim that Rocky and Tacopina, in their defense of the civil assault case, have slandered and defamed Ephron – wrongly accusing him of being a 'liar, money-grabber and an extortionist.'
Tacopina dismissed the defamation lawsuit as nothing more than a 'publicity stunt' and asked the court to put the case on hold until after the criminal assault cases against Rocky are decided by a jury.
Ephron's civil assault lawsuit against Rocky is already on hold pending the outcome of the criminal trial.
Meanwhile, if the jury's verdict in his criminal trial goes against him, the organizers of New York's Met Gala in May could be looking for a replacement for fashion icon Rocky.
The rapper is scheduled to co-host the glittering event alongside LeBron James, musician Pharrell Williams, Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton and actor and playwright Colman Domingo.
