Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are stepping out amid his assault trial.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the couple was photographed out on a date night in Los Angeles. A$AP, 36, wore sunglasses with a khaki trench coat covering up a collared shirt, tie and slacks.
The “Diamonds” singer, also 36, wore a denim-on-denim look covered up with a black leather jacket and thick-rimmed glasses.
The rapper — whose real name is Rakim Mayers — is on trial for allegedly shooting A$AP Relli with a semiautomatic handgun in November 2021. He has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges for assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
At the time of the incident, Rocky was reportedly in a “heated discussion” and allegedly aimed the handgun at Relli, shooting Relli twice and leaving minor injuries on his left hand. Rocky was arrested at LAX the following April for the incident but was released on bail shortly after.
In August 2022, Relli filed a civil suit against Rocky citing assault, battery and emotional distress according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. Rocky has denied all allegations.
Rocky turned down a plea deal from prosecutors in January 2024, which included 180 days in jail and a seven-year suspended sentence with three years on probation.
He opted for a trial by jury instead of a guilty plea for one of the two felony charges against him after judges determined there was enough evidence to call for one the previous November.
The trial was meant to begin in October 2024 but was pushed back twice due to scheduling conflicts.
In the opening statements for the trial, that began on Friday, Jan. 24, Deputy District Attorney Paul B. Przelomiec said that the case was not “complicated.” “The defense will turn in an alternative explanation to what happened that night… we ask that you do not leave your common sense at the door,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina claimed that Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, is a “fraud” and had “fabricated story to extract money from Rocky.”
Tacopina also claimed that according to surveillance footage shown in court that day Rocky had a prop gun which was used solely for intimidation and to scare off “potential attackers.”
“For Relli, it was never about justice… it’s about a man seeking a profit from a fabricated narrative,” the attorney said. “Rocky has nothing to hide here.”
Rihanna will reportedly support Rocky in court on Wednesday, Jan. 29. If found guilty, Rocky faces up to 24 years in prison.
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