A$AP Rocky rejects plea deal in gun trial
A$AP Rocky has rejected a plea deal in his firearm assault trial, which began in Los Angeles this week. The final prosecution plea offer was three years probation, a seven-year suspended prison sentence and 180 days in county jail.
According to Associated Press, the plea deal was given to Rocky if he were to plead guilty to one of his two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, but he told the judge, “I respectfully decline, thank you.” He now risks the possibility of a guilty verdict and years in prison as jury selection at his trial started on January 21st.
Rocky is accused of firing a gun at a former friend, Terell Ephron, better known as A$AP Relli, near a Hollywood hotel in 2021, and could get a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison if convicted. He has pled not guilty in the case, and the trial is expected to last around 15 days.
His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, revealed they have two witnesses ready to testify that the gun spotted on the security video was a prop that Rocky carried “for security reasons.”
Tacopina told Judge Mark S. Arnold at a pre-trial hearing last week, “From our side, we have no interest in a settlement. My client has indicated he’s not willing to take anything. But obviously, I will listen to anything, any offer. And I have an obligation and a duty to relay it to my client, which I will do.”
After the hearing, Tacopina said Rocky felt “confident” that he would be acquitted and was prepared to testify. “He’s eager to tell his story. He would love the opportunity to do so,” he told Rolling Stone. “He’s a good human being and that would come out if he testifies. But that’s a decision that has not been made yet. It depends how the case goes.”
It’s currently unknown whether Rihanna, his partner and mother of his children, will attend the trial. “I don’t know. That’s a family decision,” Tacopina said in response to journalist Meghann Cuniff. “He’s very protective of Rihanna and doesn’t want her anywhere near this proceeding. But that’s a family decision they’ll make.”