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A$AP Rocky at his court hearing in Los Angeles
Photo: ALLISON DINNER / AFP
A judge in Los Angeles has ruled that rapper A$AP Rocky must stand trial. The rapper, fashion mogul and two-time Grammy nominee is said to have shot a former friend and employee near a hotel in Hollywood two years ago, as also reported by »Rolling Stone«.
Rocky pleaded not guilty. The 35-year-old is in a relationship with Rihanna and has two young sons with her. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 24 years in prison, according to the prosecution.
Judge Villar said "the entirety of the video and the testimony" showed that there was enough evidence to go to trial. Rocky's attorney, Joe Tacopina, said outside the court, "We're not disappointed, we're not surprised, we were expecting a trial."
The alleged victim, Terell Ephron, said that on November 6, 2021, A$AP first pointed a gun at Rocky and later shot at him.
Rocky's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who also represents former U.S. President Donald Trump, among others, replied that there were problems with Ephron's testimony. He doubted that there was enough evidence. In addition, Tacopina drew attention to inconsistencies in a video from the evening of the alleged crime.
Tacopina countered that "there are some real problems with the complainant's testimony," adding, "I don't think there's enough evidence." According to this, the murder weapon was never found.
In recent years, A$AP Rocky has released little music and has become more known as a fashion influencer.
It's not the first time the rapper has run afoul of the law: the musician, who grew up in New York's Harlem neighborhood, was convicted of assault in 2019 after a violent incident in Sweden. He spent about four weeks in pre-trial detention, but he avoided a longer prison sentence. This was preceded by an altercation in Stockholm in which the rapper and two of his companions had beaten up a man on the street.
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