The trial of rapper ASAP Rocky regarding a shooting incident has officially begun, and legal experts are already discussing the potential impact that his longtime partner, Rihanna, might have on the case.
On Thursday, January 23, during the jury selection process—one day before attorneys presented their opening statements—Deputy District Attorney John Lewin posed a question to a prospective juror, a woman, about whether she could render a guilty verdict if Rihanna, 36, was in attendance at the courtroom.
“If Rihanna is present in court, would it be difficult for you to look toward the defendant’s family and still deliver a guilty verdict?” Lewin asked.
The news outlet noted that the woman hesitated for a considerable moment before ultimately responding, “yes.” Rihanna Has Been Maintaining Her Composure Ahead of ASAP Rocky’s Trial, Despite the Outcome Being Beyond Her Control
Rihanna did not attend the court proceedings on Thursday or Friday, January 24, when Rocky’s trial officially commenced. The 36-year-old rapper is facing two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection to a 2021 shooting in Hollywood.
He is accused of firing four to five rounds at Terell Ephron, a childhood friend, who has alleged that the shots “grazed his knuckles”.
Legal Teams in ASAP Rocky’s Trial Questioned Potential Jurors About Rihanna’s Influence. Rocky has pleaded not guilty, with his attorneys maintaining that he did not commit any crime. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 24 years in prison.
ASAP Rocky Trial (Photo: Getty Images)It was reported that both the prosecution and defense took approximately two and a half days to finalize a jury panel, selecting from a “pool of more than a hundred candidates.”
Among those chosen for the jury were a podcast editor, an actor, and a man who has worked at Trader Joe’s for over two decades.
Although Rihanna, who shares two children, RZA and Riot Rose, with Rocky, has yet to appear in court to support him, Thomas Zizzo Jr.—son of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne—was present on Friday.
On the first day of the Grammy-winning rapper’s trial, Zizzo, a Los Angeles police officer, took the stand as one of the initial law enforcement officials to respond to the scene of the alleged 2021 shooting. The officer testified about his observations upon arriving at the location.
Rihanna, who began dating Rocky in late 2019, has largely refrained from publicly discussing his legal troubles. However, she has continued to stand by him. In an April 2024 interview, she opened up about their relationship.
“We’ve known each other for a long time. I’ve seen him in relationships, and he’s seen me in relationships. We’ve also seen each other when we weren’t in relationships,” she shared.
“We were aware of what we were capable of and the kind of trouble we could bring into each other’s lives. We knew we had the power to either make or break each other’s hearts. So, when we started dating, we did so with a lot of caution.”
