A$AP Rocky Trial Postponed Until January So Rapper Can Perform at Benefit Concert in Thailand

• A$AP Rocky is accused of shooting a semi-automatic pistol at his former friend A$AP Relli
• The rapper’s trial now begins in January 2025
• “Things have moved in part because Rocky has a benefit concert in Bangkok,” his lawyer announced after the October 22 hearing in LA.

A judge has postponed A$AP Rocky’s trial involving allegations from a 2021 incident with his former friend and accuser A$AP Relli.

At a hearing on Tuesday, October 22 in Los Angeles, Rocky’s trial was moved from the original November date to January 21. His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, announced afterwards that it was due to a scheduling conflict with his appearance at Rolling Loud Thailand 2024.

“Things have moved up partly because Rocky has a benefit concert in Bangkok at the end of November and partly because we’re still dealing with some discovery issues,” Tacopina told reporters outside the courtroom. “We all agree on Thanksgiving … and Christmas … I think everyone decided it was best to do it in January. That’s a firm date.”

He added of the judge’s decision: “If he had said no, Rocky obviously would have been here on November 12th. I would have been here. But he was very accommodating.”

Tuesday’s hearing comes after the rapper — who is accused of firing a semiautomatic handgun at Relli — pleaded not guilty in January. Last November, a judge found there was enough evidence to go to trial on the charges.

After the arraignment, Tacopina told reporters that Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, was “as cool as a cucumber.”

He also said Rocky, 36 – who shares two sons, RZA, 2, and Riot Rose, 14 months, with pop superstar Rihanna – was eager for the trial to end “so he can start enjoying his family”.

A$AP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty In Alleged Murder Of A$AP Relli As Lawyer Says He’s ‘Cool As A Cucumber’

A$AP Rocky at Milan Fashion Week in February 2024.

Arnold Jerocki/Getty

During the hearing in November, Detective Frank Flores took the stand and new surveillance video was presented, in addition to what was shown at the previous hearing that month. In the new video, two loud gunshots can be heard, but not seen, which the prosecution claims is the alleged shooting.

Flores confirmed that he reviewed the video in his investigation and claimed that Rocky had a gun in his hand during the altercation. However, during cross-examination, he revealed that the gun was never found. Meanwhile, two shell casings recovered from the scene by Relli (real name Terell Ephron) and handed over to the police two days later had no fingerprints.

At a previous hearing, a photo of Rella’s minor injuries shown in court showed small patches of raw, bloody skin on the knuckles of his index, middle and ring fingers on his left hand.

According to legal documents obtained by PEOPLE, on August 10, 2022, Relli filed a civil suit against Rocky for assault, battery and emotional distress. Rocky has denied all the claims.

In their response to the civil suit, his attorneys wrote: “Defendant generally denies all allegations of the complaint, and specifically denies that plaintiff has been harmed in any amount or in any way as a result of any act or failure to respond by defendant. Injuries and/or or the damages complained of in the complaint, if any, were caused solely by the negligence and/or intentional acts or omissions of the person who is not liable.”

Relli, a former colleague from the hip-hop collective A$AP Mob, claimed that he was hit by bullet fragments after an argument, and told the court that he sought the necessary medical attention at a hospital in New York. The two were childhood friends and went to high school together in New York.

“We were really cool. We were relaxed the whole time,” Relli recalled on the stand, before stating that the tension began to rise when Rocky achieved solo success and became a “big head”.

After their friend and mobster A$AP Josh died in October 2021, Relli testified that his mother asked for financial help to bring his body back to New York and that Rocky promised to help financially through a group message. Although Tacopina claimed Rocky had paid in full, Relli did not believe that had happened at the time, he told the court.

A month later — and days before Rocky headlined ComplexCon — Relli said he overheard Rocky bad-mouthing him on speakerphone to another friend and decided to end their friendship. “True, it was a good feeling. I was mentally preparing to leave and I don’t need that kind of stigma or type of people. [Rocky] it would never help,” Relli said.

He told the court that he later saw Rocky with his two friends Illijah Ulang (A$AP Illz) and Jamil Phillips (A$AP Twelvyy) outside a parking garage on Hollywood Boulevard. Surveillance video shown in court appears to show Rocky walking toward Relli and pushing him.

Surveillance camera footage (without sound) then showed a group of men involved in an argument at the corner of Selma Avenue and Vista Del Mar Avenue in Hollywood.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky share an umbrella as they say ‘Ciao’ to Venice after a romantic birthday trip

A$AP Rocky in court in LA in November 2023.

Allison Dinner-Pool/Getty

“Rocky turned and shot me,” Relli said in November, noting he was about 16 feet away. “Everything looked like a movie.” He went on to testify that Rocky fired “three or four” more times at Relli, who said he was using A$AP Illz as a human shield.

The video ended with one member of the group running as the other two men fled on foot after a gun was allegedly fired. About an hour later, Relli testified, he returned to the scene to retrieve two 9mm shell casings from the incident. During cross-examination, Relli admitted that he didn’t call 911 until two days later because he wanted to hire a lawyer first.

Rocky was subsequently arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20, 2022, and was released on bail the same day, according to Los Angeles Times. He was returning on a private jet from Barbados, where he vacationed with Rihanna — just weeks before the RZA couple’s first son was born. Rocky was later released after posting $550,000 bail, according to a media release.

Rella’s lawyers argued in the civil suit that Rocky’s behavior was “extreme and outrageous” and that their client suffered “severe emotional distress.” Relli is suing for more than $25,000 in general damages, additional money to cover her medical bills and an unspecified amount in punitive damages in civil court.

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Source: HIS Education