Rihanna makes shock court appearance to support boyfriend A$AP Rocky who faces 24 years prison
Rihanna made a shock appearance in court Wednesday to support her boyfriend A$AP Rocky as he faces up to 24 years in prison.
The pop megastar reportedly snuck into a downtown Los Angeles courtroom early in the morning through a concealed entrance.
Her rapper partner, real name Rakim Mayers, who is facing decades behind bars for weapons offenses, arrived with his family and entourage earlier in the day without Rihanna.
A source told the US Sun: 'Rihanna arrived around 9:49 a.m. in a blacked-out SUV and met with two security guards who tried to throw everyone off and went down a side passageway out of the court.
'They jumped in her car in the underground parking lot, and she snuck into the court in a secret elevator and never walked the main corridor.'
Rihanna, wearing an all-black ensemble with a turtleneck and trench coat, reportedly sat beside Mayers' mother and sister in the front row of the courtroom, with several security guards sat around them.
Mayers faces prison time for allegedly shooting his former friend A$AP Relli in 2021, and is charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.
Rihanna made a shock appearance in court Wednesday to support her boyfriend A$AP Rocky as he faces up to 24 years in prison (seen together on Tuesday night in Los Angeles)
A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, faces prison time for allegedly shooting his former friend A$AP Relli (pictured) in 2021, and is charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon.
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, seen testifying at Wednesday's hearing
Rihanna, who shares two children with Mayers, has stuck beside the rapper since his first arrest on gun charges in April 2022, when the pair were returning to Los Angeles Airport from a Barbados vacation.
Prosecutors allege that on November 6, 2021, Mayers pointed a gun at his former friend during a confrontation, shooting at him and leaving him with minor injuries.
A$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, testified against Mayers at an earlier hearing, claiming that the rapper held a gun to his stomach and said 'I'll kill you right now' before firing at least four shots.
It is alleged that one of the shots hit Ephron's hand, but he only reported the shooting the following day when a warrant was issued for Mayers' arrest.
Two 9mm shell casings were recovered by Ephron after he returned to the scene of the alleged shooting, however police say the weapon Mayers allegedly fired has never been found.
On Tuesday, Mayers 'respectfully declined' a plea deal that would have seen him serve just six months in jail alongside a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation.
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky (pictured at Wednesday's hearing) 'respectfully declined' a plea deal that would have seen him serve just six months in jail alongside a seven-year suspended sentence and three years of probation
Rihanna (seen Tuesday night), who shares two children with Mayers, has stuck beside the rapper since his first arrest on gun charges in April 2022
Ephron was a former friend and collaborator of Mayers, after the pair became friends as teenagers while attending high school in New York together.
They were members of the A$AP collective, a group of students who made music and created art together. The A$AP (Always Strive And Prosper) Mob was formed in 2005, but Rocky only joined in 2007.
Ephron said their friendship continued as Mayers' fame grew, but began to falter when he started backing out of business ventures.
At pre-trial hearings in November, Mayers' attorneys attempted to spare him a court trial as they argued that surveillance video of the rapper holding a gun should not be permissible as evidence.
Prosecutors claim the video showed Mayers firing the weapon, which the rapper's attorneys denied.
Detective Frank Flores of the Los Angeles Police Department testified at an earlier hearing that footage showed a gun in the rapper's hand, but when pressed by the defense he conceded a weapon was never recovered.
However, Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar said 'the totality of the video and testimony' shows there is sufficient evidence for the defendant to go to trial.
