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A$AP Rocky’s trial is officially underway.
On Friday, a day after 12 jurors and four alternates were selected, Rakim Mayers, also known as A$AP Rocky, was captured on camera wearing a gray suit in court.
Myers is charged with two felonies in connection with an incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun and fired a shot at his former childhood friend Terrell Efron (aka A$AP Leri).
He has maintained his innocence and rejected a plea deal, which could result in 24 years in prison.
Prosecutors used surveillance footage of the alleged shooting, photos and a map of the area surrounding the incident in their opening statement.
In his 40-minute statement, Deputy District Attorney Paul Pzeromy tried to convince jurors that this was not a “complex case.”
“The evidence in this case will show that the man in the black sweatshirt is the defendant, Rakim Mayers,” Pzeromy told jurors. “The evidence is consistent.”
At the end of his statement, he said: “In this case, the defense claims that A$AP 12vvy, will call Mr. Phillips to testify. He was friends with all of the participants at the time of the shooting. He is 32 years old and is seen on the video firing the two gunshots we hear. Since he is expected to testify that he was actually the defendant, there will basically be no dispute that Mr. Myers was the one who fired the gun. I would say it was a starter pistol.”
“That’s ultimately what the evidence in this case shows. As I said, we expected the defense to try to present an alternative explanation for what happened that night. , what we ask you to do is to use common sense and wait until the case is over as we evaluate the evidence from both sides of this case.” emphasized. “Once you have all the evidence to make a decision, listen to the court’s instructions on the law and return only the correct verdict.”
After a lunch break, Rocky’s attorney Joe Tacopina responded with his own opening statement.
He expressed confidence that jurors would remain unbiased and urged them to “listen carefully to the evidence” before rendering a verdict.
“If you look at the evidence, you will see that Rocky was a hard worker and from the humblest of beginnings, he achieved extraordinary success through work and dedication,” he said.
The defense argued there was a “clear contrast” between Mr. Myers and Mr. Efron, and that both men were “all about making money.”
In fact, Tacopina claimed that this lawsuit was all about “money” and that if Myers had given the money to Efron, the lawsuit would not have happened.
He said, “It’s not a question of justice, it’s a question of money.” I’ll show you that. The evidence will reveal that Lely is using lies to support these claims and attempting to use the story to extract money from Rocky. ”
Tacopina said Relli had harbored a grudge against Rocky for years, which reached its “culmination” on the night of the incident.
Tacopina also brought up surveillance video from the parking lot that he believes shows who the “real assailant” was, saying it was Leli who made the initial physical contact. He said that.
Tacopina said there was “no evidence” that Rocky pressed the gun against Relli’s abdomen, and that the object Rocky was holding was a “prop gun.”
The defense said the prop gun was used to scare “potential attackers” and that it looked and sounded like a “real gun.”
Tacopina noted that Rocky has a license to carry a real gun, but he “didn’t want to carry a real gun” because he didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“All of Rocky’s friends knew that he carried a prop gun for safety,” he said.
“Extra” recently sat down with Tacopina to discuss the influence the rapper’s superstar girlfriend Rihanna may have on the case.
The mother of his two children could be called to testify against him about what she knows.
Tacopina said, “While this case is not about Rihanna, the DA’s office probably wants to make sure the public doesn’t get too obsessed with Rihanna or become blinded by their love for Rihanna and stop listening.” spoke. evidence and facts of the incident. I don’t think that’s the case. I think people are too smart for that. ”
“We’re ready. I mean, it’s been a long time, more than two years,” Tacopina added. “This issue has been weighing heavily on Rocky and Rihanna and the heads of their families for some time, and we are ready for it. We are starting this effort and following in his footsteps. I want to.”
Tacopina believes this case is about “money, money, money.”
Tacopina said the case against Rocky is weak and “relies on testimony from unreliable people, but I believe the defense is very strong.”
Surveillance video of the alleged shooting remains, but the gun has not been recovered.
“I think the police were very efficient in this investigation. I think they did a great job. I think they did a thorough search and if there was anything they could find there, they would have found it,” Tacopina said. I think there’s a reason why 10 police officers searched and didn’t find any shell casings.”
Despite Tacopina’s comments, Nathan Hockman of the Los Angeles DA’s Office feels confident his team will win, stating: We can win these cases by establishing and adhering to a burden of proof that exceeds a reasonable double. I believe that the evidence that will be presented in this case will meet that burden. ”
