A$AP Rocky’s Trial Nears End as Closing Arguments Wrap Up and Deliberations Begin

With Rihanna and their two young sons in attendance, A$AP Rocky’s trial in Los Angeles is approaching a verdict as attorneys delivered their closing arguments Thursday.

The rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, faces two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm for allegedly firing at his former friend, A$AP Relli, during a 2021 confrontation in Hollywood.

Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec told jurors the central question in the case is whether the gun was real or a prop. He argued that Rocky intentionally fired at Relli, pointing to surveillance footage that prosecutors claim shows the rapper attempting to get a clear shot.

Rocky’s defense argued that the gun was a prop loaded with blanks, which he had taken from the set of his “DMB” music video months earlier. His attorney, Joe Tacopina, dismissed Relli’s credibility, calling him “an angry pathological liar” who had repeatedly changed his story. He also downplayed Relli’s injury—a graze on his knuckles—arguing that a bullet could not have caused it.

Rihanna made a notable courtroom appearance with the couple’s two sons, 2-year-old RZA and 1-year-old Riot Rose, for the first time during the trial. The toddlers, dressed in suits, could be heard cooing as the prosecution spoke, with Rihanna quietly trying to keep them calm. During a break, Rocky carried Riot Rose past jurors before Rihanna returned to the courtroom alone after lunch.

The case stems from a dispute between Rocky and Relli, both former members of the A$AP Mob. The two had a physical altercation outside a Hollywood hotel before Rocky allegedly fired shots in a second confrontation. Surveillance footage captured the moment, but the blurry quality has left the details open to interpretation.

A$AP Twelvyy, a defense witness, testified that Rocky fired warning shots to stop Relli from attacking another crew member, A$AP Illz. Another witness, Lou Levin, also claimed the weapon was a prop. Prosecutors argued that both were coached, citing an exchange where Rocky appeared to signal Twelvyy not to reveal the meaning of “AWGE”—Rocky’s creative agency.

No gun was presented as evidence in the trial.

If convicted, Rocky faces up to 24 years in prison, though jurors are not supposed to consider sentencing in their deliberations. The defense will complete its closing arguments on Friday, followed by a prosecution rebuttal before jurors begin deliberations.