Juror on A$AP Rocky trial claims rapper was found not guilty for surprising reason
A$AP Rocky was given a not guilty verdict in his felony shooting trial last night (19 February), and one of the jurors has explained why she acquitted him.
Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, was told by a judge that he faced anywhere between 10-24 years behind bars after an incident that took place in November 2021.
The 'Sundress' artist was charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection with a shooting, which saw him arrested in April 2022.
Mayers was accused of assaulting former friend A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, in the incident.
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Mayers did not take the plea deal offered to him, which would've seen him serve a six-month jail sentence and probation for pleading guilty to one of the charges, and prevailed in the end.
The rapper celebrated the verdict by jumping into the benches behind him in court to celebrate with loved ones.
Rihanna took to social media after the verdict, writing: "The glory belongs to God and to God alone,
"Thankful, humbled by His mercy."
But now, just one day after Mayers' good news, one of the jurors has made a bold claim about why she thinks the 'Everyday' artist was acquitted.
Speaking to TMZ, she claimed that a crime could have been committed, but explained: "Unfortunately they didn't have enough evidence to convict on the charges that were handed down to us."
The jury consisted of seven women and five men, and this juror claimed that some of them believed that the alleged prop gun was real.
She added that she thought it was 'mysterious' that it disappeared and could not be used as evidence.
Mayers' attorney, Joe Tacopina, was adamant that it was a prop gun the rapper's friend said he was known to carry around.
The juror added that she believed none of them were influenced by the involvement of Rihanna or the couple's two sons in their decision.
To conclude, she highlighted that they were all focused on delivering justice, and listened to the court's instructions before deciding on a collective 'not guilty' verdict.
Tacopina commented on these claims to TMZ, claiming: "The system obviously worked.
"This is only one juror, but she focused on the lack of evidence and reasonable doubt, which is where we focused our defence.
"She also mentioned that the jury’s first vote was immediately 10 for not guilty, which is why they took only three hours!"
The lawyer further alleged that he spoke to three separate jurors who said that the decision wasn't a close one, and they believed Mayers had a prop gun.
LADbible has reached out to A$AP Rocky's representatives for a comment.
Topics: Rihanna, Celebrity, Celebrity News, Music
Joshua Nair