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The
36-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of
assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and his attorney has said
he committed no crime.
The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor is
the longtime partner of Rihanna, and the two have two toddler
sons together. It's not entirely clear whether Rihanna will
appear to support him in court, but his attorney has suggested
it's unlikely.
Rocky has been named one of the celebrity chairs of the Met Gala
in May, and has a major role in a Spike Lee-directed film with
Denzel Washington to be released soon after.
But his life could be upended with a conviction that could lead
to a sentence of up to 24 years if jurors find him guilty of
shooting at his former firend in Hollywood in 2021.
Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold said he intends to seat a jury
quickly, and is keeping strict limits on how long attorneys can
question prospective jurors.
“I will let the jurors know that regardless of who a defendant
is, whether they’re the richest person in the world or the
poorest person, everybody is to be treated the same,” he said at
a pretrial hearing.
Opening statements could come Wednesday. Arnold is allowing
media cameras in court for the entire trial after a jury is
selected.
In 2023, another judge ruled after a preliminary hearing that
Rocky should stand trial for allegedly firing a gun at Terell
Ephron, a childhood friend who testified that their relationship
had soured and a feud came to a head on the night of Nov. 6,
2021. Ephron testified that bullets grazed his knuckles.
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