Celebrity News January 21, 2025
How Rihanna Could Be A$AP Rocky’s Secret Weapon in Felony Assault Trial
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A$AP Rocky was in court with his high-profile attorney Joe Tacopina on Tuesday in downtown L.A. as jury selection got underway in his felony assault case.
Rocky has been charged with two felonies related to an incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun and fired toward a former childhood friend Terell Ephron aka A$AP Relli.
He has pleaded not guilty and faces 24 years behind bars.
“Extra” recently spoke with Tacopina, who discussed the possible effect that the rapper’s superstar girlfriend Rihanna could have on the case.
The mother of his two children could be called to testify against him about what she knows.
Tacopina said, “This case is not about Rihanna, but I guess the DA wants to make sure that the people aren’t so enamored with Rihanna, they’re gonna be so blinded by their love for Rihanna that they won’t listen to the evidence and the facts in the case. I don’t think that’s the case. I think people are too smart for that.”
“We’re ready to go. I mean, it’s been a long time, it’s been over two years,” Tacopina added. “It’s been something that’s weighing over, you know, Rocky and Rihanna and their family’s heads for a while and we’re just ready. We’re anxious to get this thing underway and get this behind him.”
Tacopina believes this case is about “money, money, money.”
According to Tacopina, the case against Rocky is weak, saying, “It relies on testimony from people who are not credible and I believe the defense is very strong.”
While there is a surveillance video of the alleged shooting, a gun was never recovered.
Tacopina said, “I think the police were very competent in this investigation. I think they did a great job. I think they did a thorough search and I think if there were things there for them to find, they would have found it. I think there’s a reason that 10 police officers searched and didn’t find shell casings.”
Despite Tacopina’s comments, L.A. DA Nathan Hochman feels confident his team can prevail, saying, “I appreciate any time a defense council are pretty sure they’re going to prevail, but we’ don’t bring cases unless we’re very sure that we can win those cases by establishing and meeting our burden of proof, of beyond a reasonable double. I believe that when we see that the evidence that’s going to be presented in that case, we will meet that burden.”
