Examining the jury deliberations in A$AP Rocky’s felony assault trial

LOS ANGELES – Jurors have begun deliberations at the trial of rapper A$AP Rocky.

The Los Angeles jury of seven women and five men began their discussions on Tuesday after three weeks of testimony and arguments.

So far, they’ve been deliberating two hours.

Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, is charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He could get up to 24 years in prison with convictions. The 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion maven and actor is the partner of singing star Rihanna, who attended much of the trial and brought their two toddler sons to closing arguments.

Here’s a closer look at the deliberations:

What jurors are deciding

Jurors must unanimously decide whether Rocky is guilty of firing two shots with a handgun at a former friend known as A$AP Relli on a Hollywood street corner on Nov. 6, 2021.

The jury can acquit him if they believe a defense argument that he only fired blanks from a prop gun that he carried for security, or if they believe he was acting in self-defense.

The jurors do not need to agree in their reasoning — or to explain it — they only need to agree on the result. Each of the charges is for one of the shots. It would be extremely unusual for them to find him guilty of one and not the other.

A mistrial can be declared if they fail to come to consensus.

The potential prison sentence

Each of the counts carries a sentence of three to nine years in prison. If guilty verdicts are reached, the judge will separately decide whether a California sentencing enhancement for personal use of a firearm applies. The maximum possible sentence is 24 years and four months, according to the district attorney’s office.

Rocky has been free on bail since his 2022 arrest. If he is convicted, he is likely to be taken into custody immediately, though his lawyers can petition for his release until sentencing. He turned down a pre-trial plea deal that could’ve meant just six months in jail.

The evidence jurors are looking at

A$AP Relli’s testimony made up the bulk of the prosecution’s case. One surveillance camera captured the sound of the shots being fired. Another partially captured a scuffle shortly before the shooting. Yet another camera captured the incident itself, though it is small and blurry in the corner of the frame.

Jurors can also consider text messages to Rocky and others that Relli sent before and after the incident. Relli has also filed a civil lawsuit, and said in the communications that he had a greater desire to be paid by Rocky rather than to see him prosecuted.

Defense witnesses included two members of Rocky’s inner circle who testified that he carried the prop gun.