Rihanna Sparks Controversy For Supposed Ties To Potential Juror In A$AP Rocky's Assault Case

Rapper A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, will be on trial for felony assault with jury selection starting Tuesday.

The proceedings have earned media exposure due to his high-profile relationship with his pop star girlfriend, Rihanna.

As reported by Newsweek, a would-be juror revealed in court that she has a chiropractor who shares an office with Rihanna and has music industry connections, which could affect impartiality.

Legal affairs journalist Meghan Cuniff also reported that the woman is a former television executive, and had ties to the music industry.

"I think I supported hip-hop artists from '95 to 2009 in my profession. I still am attached to the community," the potential juror in question said.

A$AP Rocky is charged with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm stemming from an alleged incident in which he fired a gun at former friend and fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, in Hollywood in November 2021.

If he is found guilty of all counts, the potential prison sentence will be 24 years.

The rapper has not been convicted yet, and presumption of innocence is what counts most during the jury selection process, A$AP Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina told the jurors. None of the jurors said they had heard of the charges before.

Tacopina said, "There's no marriage certificate," so A$AP Rocky is technically not married to Rihanna. She will simply be A$AP Rocky's "significant other" when the court calls in session.

In a brief address to the jury pool, Judge Mark Arnold said that all defendants, famous or not, deserve to be treated the same way.

The trial is likely to last three weeks, and Tacopina told the court he'll present witnesses who will say the gun visible on the surveillance footage was actually a prop gun intended for security purposes.

Rihanna was not in court Tuesday, but her impact on the case looms large. Jury could be persuaded by her celebrity status, legal experts say, despite any attempts to direct it to focus only on the evidence.

Attorney Gloria Allred told Newsweek, "Although jurors are instructed by the judge to consider only the evidence admitted by the court, it is human nature for many jurors to look at a celebrity sitting in the courtroom."

Meanwhile, Tacopina told reporters last week, as quoted by Rolling Stone, "This case is not about Rihanna. But I guess the D.A. [District Attorney] wants to make sure people aren't so enamored with Rihanna they're going to be so blinded by their love for Rihanna they won't listen to the evidence and facts of this case."

He added, "I don't think that's the case. I think people are too smart for that. But I guess they're worried about it. They want to make sure she's classified in [a certain] way."

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Rihanna, A$AP Rocky