With the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires serving as a dramatic backdrop, A$AP Rocky's criminal trial for shooting ex-friend A$AP Relli on a street in Hollywood, Calif., three years ago is still expected to begin next week.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark S. Arnold said jury selection will begin on Tuesday and Rocky, whose real name is Rakeem Meyers, will be ordered to appear in person. Prosecutors said they planned to offer Meyers one last plea deal. But Joseph Tacopina, the Grammy-nominated rapper's powerful defense attorney, told Judge Arnold he didn't think his client was interested.
"My client has indicated that he is not willing to accept anything, but I will listen to any offer," Tacopina told the court. After the hearing, Tacopina said Meyers was "confident" he would be acquitted and was prepared to testify if necessary.
"He's eager to tell his story. He welcomes the opportunity to do that," Tacopina said rolling stones. "He's very articulate, very smart. He's a good guy and that will show if he takes the stand. But that's a decision that hasn't been made yet. It depends on how the case goes."
Meyers, 36, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 24 years in prison. During a preliminary hearing in late 2023, prosecutors showed the alleged video of the Nov. 6, 2021, shooting, alleging that Meyers choked Reilly, born Terrell Efron, in Hollywood after a confrontation. Shots were fired at the corner of Erma Boulevard and Vista Del Mar Avenue, about a block away at the parking lot entrance.
Surveillance video from the parking lot captured the beginning of the argument and showed Meyers and Efron getting into a physical altercation. Separate grainy video captured by a security system at another building a block away shows the moment Meyers allegedly fired, according to prosecutors. A police witness admitted the footage was difficult to decipher. There was no obvious muzzle flash and no sound, only the figures dispersed at the same time. Surveillance video recovered from other nearby buildings captured a loud noise before a man identified by prosecutors as Meyers came around the corner and slowed down his walk. Prosecutors claimed the loud popping sound was the alleged gunfire.
Tacopina told reporters Wednesday he believed the evidence was on his side. "There's a reason why 10 police officers searched and no shell casings were found," he said. "(It's) not because they were blind or drunk or because they didn't want to find it. It was because they were thorough."
"He's confident and he's ready to go. He believes in justice and he believes it's going to be in his favor," said the pitbull defense attorney, known for representing Meek Mill, YG and Donald Trump Well-known for its well-known clients. "The case against Rocky is fundamentally weak. It relies on the testimony of people who are not credible. I believe the defense is very, very strong."
Tacopina acknowledged that his client faces a lot of risk and is thinking of his family. He said any decision on whether his superstar costar and mother-of-two Rihanna would attend the trial would be up to them. "I know Rocky is very protective of Rihanna and doesn't want her to be involved in this lawsuit. But this is a family decision that they will make," he said.
During the hearing, prosecutors balked at suggestions that Rihanna might be referred to as Meyers' "wife" during the trial. Tacopina said she was Meyers' "common law" wife. The judge said that unless the couple married in one of the world's jurisdictions, she would be referred to as his "other half."
"This case has nothing to do with Rihanna. But I think the DA wants to make sure that people don't get so enamored with Rihanna that they're going to be blinded by their love for Rihanna and not listen to the evidence and the facts of this case. I think that's the case Not really," Tacopina said outside the courthouse. "I think people are too smart to do that. But I guess they're worried about it. They want to make sure she's classified (somehow)."
Meyers also has a full career schedule ahead of the trial. He plans to host Rolling Loud California in Los Angeles in March and co-host the next Met Gala on May 5 with Pharrell Williams and LeBron James. He will also play the "lead role" in Spike Lee's upcoming remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 kidnapping drama high and lowdebuting with Ice Spice.
While Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec has been prosecuting the case since its inception, the lead prosecutor in Robert Durst's murder trial is a strong supporter of new District Attorney Nathan Hochman , Deputy District Attorney John Lewin attended the hearing Wednesday and said he was joining the team.
During an evidentiary hearing in November 2023, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Det. Frank Flores testified that no weapons were found in the case. Detectives also acknowledged that video of the alleged shooting was inconclusive. "(There's) no clear evidence of that," he said, referring to the alleged gunshots. Detectives claimed the videos "taken together" told a plausible story, but Tacopina disputed that. "I'm not asking for advice," Tacopina interrupted, asking again if the video showed the shooting. "There's no clear evidence," the detective replied.
The judge at the hearing ruled there was enough evidence to warrant a jury trial. "The court agrees with the defense that you do not see the actual shooting in the video. Later, in another portion of the video, you do hear two gunshots," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge ML Villar said in ruling said during the ruling. In addition to the video evidence, the judge said she considered Reilly's extensive testimony about the alleged shooting and his belief that his left hand was grazed by a bullet. "In any event, Mr. Efron appeared to be dancing around other people to avoid being shot. His testimony was that he was shot," Judge Villar said.
Efron claimed in preliminary testimony that he was the victim of an armed ambush orchestrated by Meyers. He described sending a resentful text message to Meyers on Oct. 28, 2021, days before the alleged shooting, because he believed Meyers had failed to live up to being a friend of theirs A$AP Josh's promise to pay for funeral expenses. “You are so fucking fake it hurts,” the text shown to the judge read. Efron testified that Meyers never responded. (On cross-examination, Efron said he eventually learned that Meyers paid for the entire funeral.)
According to Efron, Meyers contacted him directly the night of the alleged attack and arranged a face-to-face meeting. He testified that Meyers brandished a gun outside the parking lot and threatened, "I'm going to kill you right now." Efron said he challenged Meyers, who eventually fired the first shot. gun, "grazed" his hand a block away. "Rocky turned around and shot me," he testified under oath. He said Meyers fired two or three more shots before fleeing the scene. He said he returned later that night and found two 9 mm shell casings, which he took photos of and gave to police.
Meyers is also fighting a lawsuit filed by Efron alleging assault, battery, neglect and intentional infliction of emotional distress. As first reported rolling stonesA civil complaint filed in August 2022 revealed that Efron was the victim in the shooting investigation that led to Meyers' arrest in April 2022. Tacopina claimed in court that Efron and his attorneys sought a financial settlement after it became clear a criminal case was pending.
"I think a lot of it has to do with money, money, money. And obviously, jealousy. He's made that clear," Tacopina told reporters after the hearing Wednesday. "If he had money, we wouldn't be sitting here right now."
Efron's former civil attorneys, Jamal Toussaint and Brian Hurwitz, previously said rolling stones Meyers’ case “went through a thorough investigation by law enforcement and the Los Angeles District Attorney before the decision was made to arrest and charge A$AP Rocky,” said Camille Vazquez, Ephron’s new attorney in the civil case. Vasquez is the lawyer representing Johnny Depp in his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Vasquez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Efron later filed a second civil lawsuit against Meyers, accusing Meyers and Tacopina of defaming Efron with extortion charges.