A$AP Rocky’s Defense Calls Accuser’s Claims ‘Money Grab’ in Opening Statements

A$AP Rocky’s trial is officially underway.

On Friday, cameras caught A$AP Rocky aka Rakim Mayers arriving in court in a gray suit, one day after the 12 jurors and four alternates were selected.

Meyers has been charged with two felonies related to an incident, in which he allegedly pulled a gun and fired toward former childhood friend Terell Ephron aka A$AP Relli. 

He has pleaded not guilty and faces 24 years behind bars after declining a plea deal. 

The prosecution delivered an opening statement, using surveillance footage of the alleged shooting, photos, and maps of the area around the incident. 

In his 40-minute statement, Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomie attempted to convince the jurors that it’s not a “complicated case.”

“The evidence in this case will show that the man in the black sweatshirt is the defendant, Rakim Mayers,” Przelomie told the jurors. “That evidence will be uncontradicted.” 

Ending his statement, he said, “We expect in this case that the defense will call A$AP 12vvy, Mr. Phillips to testify. At the time of the shooting, he’s friends with all these participants. He’s 32 years old and it is expected that he will testify that defendant was, in fact, the person on the video who fired the two gunshots that we hear so it will essentially be uncontested that Mr. Meyers was the person, who fired the gun at that street corner and he will tell you the gun the defendant fired was a starter pistol.”

“That, ladies and gentlemen, is what the evidence in this case will show at the end of the case. As I’ve said, we expected that the defense will attempt to present an alternative explanation for what happened that night, but we ask you to do one thing, which is as you evaluate the evidence from both sides in this case, to not leave your common sense at the door and wait until the end of the case,” he stressed. “When you have all the evidence to make your decision, listen to the court’s instructions on the law and return only the just verdict there is.”

After a lunch break, Rocky’s attorney Joe Tacopina countered with an opening statement of his own. 

Showing confidence that the jurors can stay unbiased, he asked the jurors to “listen to the evidence carefully” before deciding on a verdict. 

He said, “The evidence will show you that Rocky was a self-made man, rising from the most humble beginnings, to extraordinary success through work, dedication.”

The defense argued that there was a “stark contrast” between Meyers and Ephron, who they claim were “all about a money grab.”

In fact, Tacopina insisted that the case was all about “money,” arguing that there wouldn’t have been a case if Meyers gave money to Ephron. 

He said, “It’s not about justice, it’s about money. I will show you that. The evidence will make clear that Relli is trying to leverage a story to extract money from Rocky, using lies to support these claims.”

According to Tacopina, Relli resented Rocky for years and it reached a “fever pitch” on the night of the incident. 

Tacopina also brought up surveillance video from a parking garage, which he believes will show who the “real aggressor” was, saying that Relli made physical contact first.

Tacopina argued that there was “no evidence” that Rocky pressed a gun against Relli’s stomach and claims that the object that Rocky was holding in his hand was a “prop gun.”

According to the defense, the prop gun is used to scare “potential attackers” and looks and sounds like a “real gun.”

Tacopina pointed out that Rocky has a license to possess a real gun, but he “didn’t want to carry a real gun” because he didn’t want to injure anyone. 

He said, “All of Rocky’s friends knew that Rocky carried a prop gun for safety.”

“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.”