A$AP Rocky will not be taking the stand in his assault trial.
Source: MEGA / Getty
The “1 Train” rapper officially waived his right to testify in court on Tuesday, Feb. 11. This comes after Rocky turned down a plea deal amid accusations that he fired a gun at former friend and collaborator A$AP Relli near a Hollywood hotel in November 2021.
In a video posted by TMZ, Superior Court Judge Mark S. Arnold reminded Rocky that he has the “right to get on the stand and give your side of the case” and the “right under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution not to testify.” When he was asked which right he wanted to invoke, the star responded by saying, “I want my right to not testify.”
While we haven’t heard Rocky say much at all regarding his trial, he was vocal in court on Feb. 7, when he reminded A$AP Twelvyy not to reveal the meaning behind the AWGE acronym. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John Lewin asked Twelvyy to tell the courtroom what the letters of the former’s creative agency and record label stood for, Rocky shouted from his seat and insisted, “Don’t say it.”
The rapper’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on Monday, Feb. 10, that either his client would take the stand on Tuesday or the defense would rest its case, according to the Associated Press. Now that Rocky has decided not to testify, closing arguments will begin Thursday morning, and the jury will start deliberations later that same day.
A$AP Rocky is charged with two felony counts of assault with a firearm, facing up to 24 years in prison if convicted. He turned down a plea deal for just 180 days in county jail, unwilling to admit guilt. Rocky was arrested in April 2022 at Los Angeles International Airport and posted a $550,000 bond shortly after. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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