After A$AP Rocky was found not guilty in his felony gun assault case, he and his partner Rihanna jokingly promised to name their “next baby” after his defense attorney Joe Tacopina.
RELATED: Rihanna Attends Felony Assault Trial To Support A$AP Rocky
In November 2021, A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, was accused of firing shots at his former friend and groupmate A$AP Relli, born Terell Ephron. Relli claimed his hand was grazed by a bullet. Rocky was hit with two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He was facing up to 24 years in prison ahead of his trial.
Over 3 years later, after many delays, the trial officially began in late January. Throughout the pre-trial and during the case, Rocky and his defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, maintained his innocence, claiming he would be fully acquitted in the matter.
RELATED: A$AP Relli Speaks Out After A$AP Rocky Not Guilty Verdict: ‘Say Bad Things About Me, I Don’t Care’
They were so sure that he was innocent that they turned down every plea deal thrown their way, and Rocky even declined to take the stand and testify during the trial. Last month, Joe Tacopina said Rocky was “doing great” and was “confident” that he would be acquitted on all charges. He also said that Rocky was “eager” to testify if needed. He said:
“My client has not indicated that he is willing to take anything, but, obviously, I will listen to anything, any offer; and I have an obligation and duty to relay it to my client, which I will do. There’s a reason that 10 police officers searched and didn’t find shell casings there. [It’s] not because they were blind or drunk or because they didn’t want to find it. It’s because they did a thorough job. He’s confident and he’s ready to go. He believes in justice, and he believes this is going to work out for him.”
RELATED: A$AP Rocky Declines To Testify In Felony Assault Trial
A$AP Rocky’s Defense Attorney Joe Tacopina Reacts To Rapper Jumping Into Courtroom Gallery To Hug Rihanna
As predicted, A$AP Rocky was found not guilty in his case on Tuesday (February 18). While celebrating, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna jokingly promised to name their third child after his lawyer Joe Tacopina. Following the trial’s end, A$AP Rocky’s defense attorney Joe Tacopina appeared on Extra and shared his reaction to the verdict.
Speaking with Extra’s Billy Bush, Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said:
“I knew there were two counts, and you know, I’ve seen odd things happen in jury verdicts where they could split the verdict… And so after the first not guilty, I’m laser-focused on the clerk to hear that second count. And I look to my right, he’s gone. And I didn’t know. I didn’t know he left. He was just gone. I was like, I said to my partner, ‘Did he leave?’… And I see him on top of Rihanna… I couldn’t process quick enough. I still told my partner, ‘Get him back.’ Here we have another count… So, I’m thinking, ‘My God, if the second count doesn’t go well, this is gonna be embarrassing. That was just an emotional explosion.”
A$AP Rocky’s Defense Attorney Joe Tacopina Says Rapper And Rihanna Promised To Name Third Kid After Him
Joe Tacopina continued to reveal how A$AP Rocky and Rihanna are forever grateful to him. He said, “Rihanna and Rocky said to me in the courtroom yesterday, they grabbed me and they said, ‘Listen, our next baby is A$AP Joe.’” The couple are already the parents to two toddler boys, RZA Athelston Mayers and Riot Rose Mayers.
Tacopina also said that Rihanna bringing the children to court wasn’t to sway the jury. He said, “Listen, he has a family. It wasn’t a secret to this jury. Rihanna was there almost every day.” Bush suggested, “But it’s helpful for them to see it. This is the family he’s gonna be away from.” He added:
“I don’t think it was helpful for them to see it. What the real reason was, was this: That day was summations, and in theory, what we initially believed, the judge had told us he was gonna start the jury deliberations that day right after summations. If they came back with a quick verdict like they did and it didn’t go his way, that would be the last time he saw his children. So, she wanted them in court, in the courthouse, the littlest one stayed outside. But, you know, RZA was inside because he’s a little older and he comported himself very well, looked like a sweet little gentleman.”
Tacopina continued to stress:
“That’s family. It’s his family. He has every right to have them there. The judge actually chastised the prosecutor for mentioning that in his summation, and said I don’t want you mentioning Rihanna or those kids again in the summation. And I don’t think that played well, because they were focused on Rihanna and the children and, you know, everything but the facts. We laser-focused on the facts in that summation. Five and a half hours I spoke to that jury, and we talked about the deficiency in the evidence, the facts, and the reasonable doubts in this case. Obviously, after three-plus hours of deliberating after a month-long trial, they agreed.”
A$AP Rocky’s Defense Attorney Joe Tacopina Praises Rapper And Rihanna
Joe Tacopina also revealed what A$AP Rocky told him when they hugged upon the acquittal. Tacopina said, “He said some very nice things. I mean, he told me he loved me, and we’re family.” Tacopina added:
“But it’s not so much the hug that’s after the great news. It’s what he said to me before the jury came out… He didn’t know if he was going to go home and see his two babies that night or start a, you know, a decade-long prison sentence, literally, that day, and he looked at me, and he grabbed me, and he said, ‘Joe, I want you to know I know how hard you fought here. I know everything you’ve done, and I just appreciate you so much. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me… and we’re in this together no matter what, and I love you.’”
While continuing to praise Rocky and Rihanna, Tacopina said:
“It was special that he did that, and it’s just, but it’s who he is… That’s why I got emotional in that summation at the end, five and a half hours of me speaking straight to a jury. At the end, it all crescendoed when I started talking about him and how important he is to me, and how good of a person he is, and Rihanna and their family, and how much I appreciated them putting their trust in me. When [Rihanna] did the Super Bowl, I was there. I wound up accidentally babysitting for the first child. [They were both preparing for the show and] all of a sudden, Rocky said, ‘Can you just take care of a baby? I’m getting a pedicure,’ and I don’t even know what a pedicure is… ‘I’ll be done, like, an hour and a half.’ So I babysat for an hour and a half. There was a different type of relationship with him than with most clients.”
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