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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Rapper-turned-fashion mogul A$AP Rocky declined Tuesday to testify in his own defense in his gun assault trial in downtown Los Angeles, and the defense rested its case.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold began reading the jury instructions just before noon, with closing arguments in the trial expected Thursday morning.
On Monday afternoon, defense attorney Joe Tacopina had indicated that Rocky was undecided about whether to testify.
When asked by Arnold on Tuesday morning if he understood his right to take the stand or not, Rocky answered that he did.
"Do you in fact waive your right to testify?" Arnold asked the rapper.
"I do in fact, your honor," Rocky responded.
Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. If convicted as charged, he could face up to eight years in prison, prosecutors indicated.
The defense contends Rocky was carrying a prop gun on the night of Nov. 6, 2021, when a dispute with accuser A$AP Relli turned physical and shots were fired on a Hollywood street. Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, alleges he suffered scraped knuckles from a bullet in the altercation.
Prosecutors allege that the gun -- which has never been found -- was a genuine firearm that shot bullets, one of which injured Relli's knuckles when fired.
Relli contends that after the altercation, he left the scene, but returned about an hour later -- after police had unsuccessfully searched the area for evidence of shots fired -- and found two shell casings on the street.
However, a Los Angeles Police Department detective testified that he did not see Relli on surveillance video showing the Hollywood street at the time the accuser says he found the shell casings ostensibly from the gun allegedly used to shoot at him.
No fingerprints were found on the casings Relli provided to law enforcement two days after the incident, the detective said.
On Tuesday, attorneys for both sides came to an agreement which was read to the jury that a final prosecution witness -- if called to the stand -- would testify that the prop gun discussed in the case "would have ejected two fired cartridge cases as it was fired. The fired cartridge cases (allegedly found by Relli at the scene of the incident) were not fired from the prop gun."
For Rocky to be found guilty of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, prosecutors must show that the gun was real.
Pop star Rihanna -- Rocky's longtime partner and the mother of the couple's two children -- has appeared in the courtroom five times since the trial began Jan. 24 to show support for her boyfriend.
Relli, the key witness in the prosecution case, testified for several days, frequently lashing out at defense attorney Tacopina, showing anger and suspicion at the questions.
Relli contends that after the alleged shooting, he left the scene, but returned about an hour later -- after police had unsuccessfully searched the area for evidence of shots fired -- only to find two shell casings on the street.
However, a Los Angeles Police Department detective testified that he did not see Relli on surveillance video showing the Hollywood street at the time the accuser says he found the shell casings from the gun allegedly used to shoot at him.
No fingerprints were found on the casings Relli provided to law enforcement two days after the incident, the detective said.
Before opening statements last month, Rocky rejected a plea deal that would have required him to plead guilty to one of two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and serve six months behind bars.
In his opening, Tacopina accused Relli of being driven by "jealousy, lies and greed," and alleged that he invented parts of his story of being attacked to bolster an attempt to extort cash from Rocky.
Rocky was arrested in April 2022 upon returning to Los Angeles from a trip with Rihanna to her native Barbados. Relli filed a lawsuit for assault, battery and emotional distress against Rocky four months later.