A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of firing a gun at his former friend, bringing an end to a highly publicized legal battle that had threatened to derail his career.
The rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, had faced two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm after being accused of shooting at Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli, in November 2021. The verdict, which was delivered after a tense three-week trial, cleared him of all charges, sparking an emotional reaction in the courtroom.
As the judge read out the not-guilty verdict, Rocky immediately turned to his partner, global superstar Rihanna, and embraced her. Witnesses inside the courtroom described the moment as deeply moving, with Rihanna reportedly shedding tears of relief as she hugged both Rocky and his legal team.
The couple, who share two young children, had endured months of uncertainty, with Rocky facing the possibility of more than 24 years behind bars had he been convicted.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Rocky expressed his gratitude to those who had stood by him throughout the ordeal. “First of all, I gotta thank God,” he said, surrounded by a chaotic media scrum. “I really wanna thank the jury for making the right decision. I’m so thankful—this is crazy right now. I’m just blessed to be a free man talking to all of y’all.”
His words were met with cheers from fans who had gathered outside the courthouse to show their support.
The trial had painted a picture of a friendship gone sour. Once inseparable, Rocky and Ephron were both members of the A$AP Mob collective, a group of creatives who rose to prominence from their high school days in New York.
However, the court heard that their relationship had deteriorated over the years, particularly after Rocky achieved international fame. Prosecutors alleged that Rocky had targeted Ephron during a confrontation in Hollywood, but his defense team argued that the allegations were driven by “jealousy, lies, and greed.”
During the trial, jurors were presented with surveillance footage that prosecutors claimed clearly showed Rocky discharging a firearm at Ephron near a parking garage. However, Rocky’s legal team refuted this narrative, asserting that the weapon in question was not a real gun but rather a starter pistol that only fired blanks.
They argued that Rocky had used it merely as a warning shot to de-escalate a confrontation, insisting that Ephron had been the aggressor that night.
Key witnesses testified in Rocky’s defense, reinforcing the claim that he had only fired the prop gun in an attempt to protect a fellow group member who was under attack. Furthermore, the jury was instructed to consider whether Rocky had acted in self-defense.
If they believed he reasonably feared for his own safety or that of his companions, they were allowed to find him not guilty. While the exact reasoning behind their verdict remains unclear, it is possible that the jury accepted either the self-defense claim or the assertion that no real firearm had been used.
In the final days leading up to the trial, Rocky had been offered a plea deal by the prosecution, which would have required him to plead guilty to one of the felony charges in exchange for serving 180 days in prison.
However, he declined the offer, maintaining his innocence and choosing to fight the case in court. His decision proved to be the right one, as the jury ultimately took just three hours to return a not-guilty verdict after weeks of testimony and arguments from both sides.
The verdict was met with an explosion of cheers inside the courtroom, with many of Rocky’s supporters unable to contain their excitement. The scene was so chaotic that it took the court clerk some time to read the second not-guilty charge aloud.
Meanwhile, outside the courthouse, fans and well-wishers celebrated, while Rocky’s legal team hailed the decision as a victory for justice. “This was the right outcome,” one of his attorneys stated. “The evidence simply did not support the charges, and we are relieved that the jury saw the truth.”
Rocky’s acquittal marks the end of a legal saga that had cast a shadow over his career. While the rapper has previously faced legal issues, including a high-profile assault case in Sweden in 2019, this trial carried the most severe potential consequences.
Now, with the case behind him, he can turn his focus back to his music and family life with Rihanna and their two young sons.
For now, A$AP Rocky is a free man, with a newfound appreciation for those who stood by him through one of the most challenging periods of his life. “Thank y’all for saving my life,” he told jurors as they left the courtroom. His words echoed the immense relief of someone who had just been given a second chance.
