Los Angeles ( AP ) On Monday, a judge ruled that A$ AP Rocky had sufficient proof to stand trial for the 2021 shooting death of his former friend and collaborator on the streets close to an upscale hotel.
After hearing about one and a half days ‘ worth of testimony from two testimony, Superior Court Judge M. L. Villar issued the decision at pleading reading. Rocky has entered a not guilty plea to two misdemeanor counts of semiautomatic rifle abuse. Rocky did not appear to respond to the ruling.
The 35-year-old singer, fashion tycoon, and two-time Grammy nominee is dating Rihanna, with whom he has two young children.
According to Villar,” the entirety of the picture and testimony” demonstrates that there is enough proof for the defendant to stand trial. She emphasized that the standard of data at initial hearings is significantly lower than at a test.
Outside of court, Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said,” We’re certainly disappointed, not surprised, we expected to go to trial, and we’ve been planning for test all along.” When all is said and done, Rocky is going to be vindicated, without a doubt.
Terell Ephron testified that he and Rocky, a childhood friend, had belonged to the same group of musicians and designers at their New York high school on the first day of the reading, which resumed on Monday after much delay.
He claimed that their marriage had begun to deteriorate, which led to the Hollywood standoff on November 6, 2021, in which Rocky allegedly pulled a gun on him and then fired shots that touched Ephron’s knuckles.
Before passing judgment, Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told the judge that “you need nothing more than Mr. Ephron’s witness by itself.” He also said that the security videos that captured portions of the event” corroborates exactly what Mr.”
” There are some real issues with the evidence of the complainant,” Tacopina retorted, adding,” I think there’s not enough information.”
A pair of 9 mm shell casings that were in police custody were recovered by Ephron, who returned to the scene about an hour after the conflict, according to Tacopina’s information during questioning of a police detective earlier on Monday. Seven officers who searched the street and road about 20 minutes after it was alleged that the shots were fired also found no evidence of the shooting.
Tacopina watched the officers ‘ body camera footage as they searched the area for about 10 minutes. Two weeks after reporting the incident to the police, Ephron turned over the shell casings, which the inspector claimed were devoid of any recollectible prints.
A video was recorded by the prosecution from a location close to the scene where no one is immediately visible but what appears to be two gunshots can be heard. A gentleman next sprints around a spot before slowing down and walking. Although the boy’s personality is unclear from the video, LAPD Detective Frank Flores testified that Rocky is who he claims to be.
When Rocky was the subject of a search warrant, Flores testified that no 9 mm handgun was found.
Prosecutors displayed a still from surveillance video that showed the face of the man wearing the hoodie, which had no obvious gun, and another picture from the same video showing him holding what appeared to be the gun. Torres testified that they knew it was Rocky because of the pictures.
Tacopina, who is also defending Donald Trump in his legal case in New York, pressed the policeman on the tool and claimed that there was no way for police to determine whether it was a packed or even real gun.
That weapons, or whatever it was, was n’t put to the test, am I correct? Tacopina enquired. No, it was never found, Reyes remarked.
You’re never sure if it’s an functional weapon, a non-operatable weapon or whatever, Tacopina enquired.
I ca n’t tell you whether it’s operable without having it, the detective retorted.
Tacopina also made an effort to cast doubt on Ephron’s small hand injury by posing the question of why he took so long to get medical attention after returning to New York.
He bitterly remarked,” It’s a wonder he survived that shooting,” after showing the detective the picture of the scraped fingertips.
He was reprimanded by the judge, who also instructed Tacopina to develop down several times.
In the case, Rocky was detained at Los Angeles International Airport in April and charged in August. He spent the weekend at the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix engine competition, where he played a significant role as Puma’s artistic director in the clothing company ‘ partnership with F1. He entered the court on Monday night wearing an all-black coat, glasses, and face helmet.
He has n’t released much music in recent years, but he is better known for being Rihanna’s romantic partner, fellow fashion influencer, and co-parent. In May, they had a second son together. Both of his first two theater songs, released in 2013 and 2015, were No. 1 on the 200-foot Billboard.
When questioned outside of court about whether Rocky may invite Rihanna, who was absent from the preliminary sessions, to his trial, Tacopina said,” He would not subject his family; he wants to protect them. He handles it like Rocky handles things.
When Rocky was imprisoned after a fight in Sweden in 2019, then-President Donald Trump claimed he was trying to free the musician and get him back to the United States. At trial, he was found guilty of assault, but was only given a” conditional sentence” —no more time in prison.
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