ASAP Rocky's assault trial is officially underway after jury selection. Today (January 24), they kicked things off with opening statements. LA County Deputy District Attorney Paul Przelomiec opened, and the rapper's lawyer Joe Tacopina followed. Each side presented the evidence they'll be using throughout the trial to support their arguments.
At one point, for example, Tacopina read a series of text messages that he alleges were sent by ASAP Relli, the man Rocky is accused of shooting at. "Relli told his friend that Rocky was a 'piece of sh*t,' and that 'I'm gonna beat this n***a up.' That's funny. They showed you a lot of text messages," he added of the prosecution. "I didn't see that one." This is far from the only pertinent update in the case, however.
ASAP Rocky's Assault Trial Begins With Opening Statements
Earlier this week, it was also reported that Rocky's team was not pleased with the lack of representation in the jury pool. Reportedly, out of 106 people, only five of them were Black. "We're in downtown Los Angeles. Not a small town in Montana. We're troubled by that to say the least," Tacopina said. Judge Arnold rejected this notion, stating “There’s no authority that requires any particular percentage of any ethnicity on a jury.” ASAP Rocky also rejected a deal from prosecutors to plead guilty to one count of assault in exchange for a 180-day jail sentence, three years probation, and a seven-year suspended prison sentence. This move was controversial, as it was later alleged that prosecutors told his family members that he should have accepted it.
According to TMZ, the performer turned it down because it could have potentially ruined his career. "This would effectively end his career because he would lose all of his endorsement contracts, including Gucci, Puma, the Met Gala and, most important, he would not be able to tour and his career would be over," a source reportedly told the outlet. "They would have him under their thumb for over 8 years."
