A$AP Rocky is set to go on trial in Los Angeles early next year on charges he fired a gun at a former friend and associate on the streets near a Hollywood hotel in 2021.
The trial of the 36-year-old rapper, fashion mogul, Grammy nominee and celebrity co-chair of the next Met Gala is set to begin with jury selection on January 21. He pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm. The trial had been scheduled to start on November 12, but his team asked at a hearing on Tuesday for it to be postponed because he is headlining the Rolling Loud music festival in Thailand next month.
Supreme Court Judge Mark S. Arnold he said he would allow video cameras to broadcast the trial, which is expected to last about two weeks.
“I think the public deserves to see what goes on in the courtroom,” the judge said.
He asked a defense attorney Joe Tacopina if Rihanna, with whom Rocky is in a relationship and has two children, intends to attend the trial so that she can make appropriate security arrangements.
Tacopina said he doesn't know, but “I don't guarantee almost every day.”
Another judge ruled after a preliminary hearing nearly a year ago that Rocky should stand trial for allegedly firing a gun at Terrell Efrona childhood friend who testified that their relationship had soured and a fight came to a head on the night of November 6, 2021. Efron testified that bullets grazed his knuckles.
Rocky could face up to 24 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
Tacopina said outside the courtroom Tuesday that he was confident Rocky would clear his name and that despite the delay, “He's willing to go to trial. Having that hanging over his head is not something he wants.”
Rocky was recently chosen to be a celebrity chair at the Met Gala in May alongside Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Coleman Domingo and LeBron Jamesalthough the outcome of the trial could complicate his ability to attend.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/asap-rocky-trial-date-gun-charges/
