A$AP Rocky has decided not to testify at his trial concerning allegations that he discharged a firearm at a former friend and collaborator. During a court session in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the 36-year-old rapper confirmed to Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold that he had consulted with his legal team. “Absolutely, your honour,” Rocky stated, indicating his intention to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. “I want my right not to testify.”
The rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faces a potential sentence of up to 24 years in prison if found guilty. His attorney, Joe Tacopina, had previously expressed a desire for Rocky to share his side of the story, but acknowledged the risks associated with subjecting a defendant to extensive cross-examination in criminal trials.
Rocky is accused of firing a gun at Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli, a former friend and fellow member of their A$AP collective from their school days in New York. Ephron testified earlier in the trial, stating that their friendship deteriorated and a conflict escalated in November 2021. Prosecutors presented surveillance footage that they claim shows Rocky firing a weapon at Ephron outside a Hollywood parking garage. However, Tacopina argued in his opening statement that the firearm was not real, but rather a starter pistol used as a prop. He suggested that Ephron’s motivations stemmed from “jealousy, lies, and greed.”
On Monday, Rocky’s tour manager, Lou Levin, became the second witness from Rocky’s circle to testify that he carried a fake gun for security purposes. Levin explained that following previous break-ins at Rocky’s home, it was deemed prudent to have a non-lethal form of self-defense. He noted that the gun had been used in a video shoot during the summer of 2021, approximately three months before the incident in question. The defense has stated that they no longer possess the starter pistol, and authorities have not recovered the weapon alleged to have been used.
Rocky is facing two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Prior to the trial, he rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a 180-day jail sentence in exchange for a guilty plea on one count.
