On the opening day of A$AP Rocky’s trial, jurors were presented with surveillance footage that prosecutors claim proves the rapper fired a gun at his former friend, a claim the defence countered by portraying the accuser as a jealous rival fabricating the incident for financial gain.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec delivered a straightforward opening statement on Friday, relying on video evidence and a 911 call.
“What will become almost instantly clear is that this is not a complicated case,” Przelomiec stated, asserting that the footage clearly identifies A$AP Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, as the gunman.
In response, Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, argued that the video evidence alone was inconclusive without the testimony of the accuser, Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli.
Tacopina claimed Ephron was motivated by “jealousy, lies and greed,” and described him as “a perjurer and a criminal,” prompting objections from the prosecution.
“This case rises or falls on his credibility,” Tacopina asserted.
The defence argued that the firearm involved was a starter pistol that fired blanks, which they said Ephron was aware of, and that Rocky carried the prop solely for protection.
One piece of video evidence shown by the prosecution captured a physical altercation involving two men, with two others intervening, outside a Hollywood parking garage on the night of November 6, 2021. The footage, partly obstructed, depicts a man in a black hoodie pointing a gun but not firing it.
“The evidence in this case will show that the man in the black sweatshirt is the defendant, Rakim Mayers,” Przelomiec said, adding that the evidence would remain uncontested.
A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. If convicted, he could face up to 24 years in prison.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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