Prince Harry wasn’t the only prominent person with a court case this week. On Tuesday, jury selection began in the criminal trial of ASAP Rocky. Rocky has been charged with two felony counts of assault with semiautomatic firearm, stemming from an incident in 2021. Rocky was arrested and briefly detained back in 2022 as he and Rihanna were arriving back in LA following a trip to Barbados. The jury selection has been completed, and there are no Black jurors, according to TMZ. The NY Times ran a recap/what to know piece about the trial, and I found this interesting:

Potential prison time: The trial is expected to last about three weeks. If convicted, Rocky faces a maximum of up to 24 years in prison. On Tuesday, Rocky turned down a plea offer of a six-month jail term with a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation.

The incident in 2021: At a pretrial hearing in November 2023, ASAP Relli, born Terell Ephron, testified that he and Rocky were high school friends who once belonged to the same rap collective. Their relationship frayed amid Rocky’s rise to fame. Relli and Rocky agreed to meet on the evening of Nov. 6, 2021, to clear their differences, Relli testified. Relli claimed Rocky arrived with two men at a parking garage near the W Hotel in Hollywood. Prosecutors allege that he and Rocky briefly argued and Rocky pulled a gun from his waistband and later fired at Relli, grazing his knuckles, a claim they argue is supported by surveillance video showing Rocky holding a gun before the shooting.

Why Rocky didn’t take the plea deal: His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, has argued that the weapon used was a “prop gun” incapable of firing real ammunition.

The judge sounds like a Rihanna fan: Last week, the judge, Mark S. Arnold, asked Tacopina how he should refer to Rihanna in relation to Rocky. “She’s his common-law wife, your Honor,” Tacopina responded, adding she could be referred to as his wife. The prosecution argued against that term if they were not legally married. In an October hearing, Arnold asked if Rihanna would attend the trial. “She’s welcome to be here whenever she wants I’d just like to know,” Arnold said, according to The Associated Press. “He’s very protective of Rihanna and doesn’t want her anywhere near this proceeding,” Tacopina responded on behalf of his client. “But that’s a family decision they’ll make.”

[From The NY Times]

I saw some people suggesting that Rocky was foolish for not taking the plea, especially because it sounds like the prosecution has a lot of solid evidence against him. We’ll see – Rocky can afford the best lawyers and the best legal advice, so he must be certain that he has a good defense. I think the judge repeatedly asking about Rihanna is so funny though. Like… I understand why the judge would want to know – and have court security prepared – if Rihanna will attend the trial. But the judge was also asking for a status update on Rocky and Rih. Is the judge going to shoot his shot if Rihanna shows up?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.