LOS ANGELES – A former good friend who alleges rapper A$AP Rocky fired a gun at him in 2021 testified Monday that nobody concerned within the incident gave him any indication the firearm may need been faux — because the protection contends — till the day this trial began.
The testimony from the trial’s key witness, who goes by A$AP Relli, got here on the finish of a protracted, irritating slog on the stand in a Los Angeles courtroom that drove him to shout, “You are annoying, bro!” and way more on the lead protection lawyer.
In its re-direct questioning on Monday, the prosecution pushed again towards the concept that for safety Rocky carried a starter pistol that solely shot blanks.
Deputy District Lawyer Paul Przelomiec confirmed Relli texts from after the incident by which he instructed Rocky “U attempt killing me” and that Rocky had tried to take him from his daughter.
“At any level did he reply to your textual content messages to let you know it was a faux gun?” The prosecutor requested Relli, who testified his knuckles had been grazed within the incident.
“No,” he responded. He stated the identical of the 2 mutual buddies who had been there.
The testimony was the primary time the jury heard how late the prop gun protection was revealed, regardless of greater than three years passing and several other days of testimony at a preliminary listening to in 2023.
Rihanna, the famous person singer who’s Rocky’s longtime accomplice and the mom of his two toddler sons, was not within the courtroom after being within the viewers to help him for the trial’s earlier three days.
Rocky has pleaded not responsible to 2 felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, costs that with a conviction carry a most penalty of 24 years in jail.
A day earlier, the hip-hop star was up a Grammy Award for the third time at a ceremony simply two miles away, however misplaced to one of many night time’s large winners, Kendrick Lamar.
Relli who first took the stand on Wednesday, had been typically evasive and simply as typically indignant underneath cross-examination from Rocky’s lawyer.
That got here to a head Monday because the protection acquired an opportunity to ask its final set of questions earlier than he was excused.
“I’m not on trial. I’ve been right here for 5 days, coping with this man,” he stated. “I’ve been wanting silly for 5 days.”
He ignored the choose’s warnings to not make such statements.
“You suppose you’re slick!” he shouted at Tacopina moments later. “And I’m on to you! You’re not going to maintain tripping me up! You’re not slick!”
Final week, Relli had angrily declared that recordings of telephone calls the protection performed for him about getting cash from Rocky had been faked. Protection legal professionals contend the one purpose Relli went to police concerning the incident was so he may extract cash from Rocky within the civil case he has additionally filed.
On Monday, the person who recorded these calls, Wally Sajimi, took the stand as an out-of-order witness for the protection, and the jurors heard the recordings themselves.
In one among them, a voice resembling Relli’s says he’ll cease collaborating within the prison case as quickly as he will get paid.
“As soon as I stroll away, after I get my money, the case will get approach weaker,” says the recording that Sajimi testified he made in 2022. “It’s going to be laborious for the DA to seek out me. As a result of I’m going to be on one other island.”
Sajimi testified that he builds web sites for artists and types, and has labored with each Rocky and Relli, however stated he’s a lot nearer to Rocky, who he considers a good friend.
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