Rihanna on Wednesday made an appearance at a Los Angeles court for boyfriend A$AP Rocky’s trial, showing support for him as he faces up to 24 years in prison.
The 36-year-old Umbrella singer made a shock appearance inside a courtroom at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles early Wednesday.
The Grammy-winning artist, who shares two children with A$AP Rocky, 36 – RZA, two, and Riot Rose, one – attended in support of her beau amid his criminal trial, which kicked off last week.
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection with accusations he shot A$AP Relli in Hollywood in November of 2021.
Rihanna was clad in an all-black ensemble of a coat with buttons, a purse and gold jewelry in the outing, sources told People Wednesday.
The Barbados-born beauty – who was mentioned numerous times as lawyers conducted jury selection – wore her hair to the side; and donned black-framed glasses at one point to focus on footage displayed during the criminal hearing.
Rihanna, 36, on Wednesday made an appearance the LA court for boyfriend A$AP Rocky’s trial, showing support for him as he faces up to 24 years in prison. Pictured in LA on Tuesday
A$AP Rocky, 36, arrived with his mother, sister and lawyers earlier in the day though the court’s main entryway without the Diamonds songstress
A$AP Rocky arrived with his mother, sister and lawyers earlier in the day though the court’s main entryway without the Diamonds songstress, sources told the outlet.
Rihanna sat between his mother and sister in the front row in the court, with A$AP Rocky’s bodyguard and assistant nearby, the outlet reported.
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Sources described Rihanna’s demeanor on Wednesday as ‘stoic,’ as she shifted a few times during the hearing, watching A$AP Relli deliver his testimony in the hearing.
During the lone break Wednesday, the Pon de Replay artist was seen standing up then sitting back down as she remained with her boyfriend’s group.
Wednesday’s hearing came to a premature conclusion due to a scheduling issue, a source told the outlet. Others in the court were escorted out while the We Found Love artist put on black sunglasses and spoke with her boyfriend’s mother and sister as the proceedings concluded.
She departed from the premises through the central elevator and entryway in the court, sources told People.
A source told The US Sun: ‘Rihanna arrived around 9:49 a.m. in a blacked-out SUV and met with two security guards who tried to throw everyone off and went down a side passageway out of the court.
‘They jumped in her car in the underground parking lot, and she snuck into the court in a secret elevator and never walked the main corridor.’
Rihanna has stuck beside the rapper since his first arrest on gun charges in April 2022, when the pair was returning to Los Angeles Airport from a Barbados vacation.
Rihanna made a shock appearance in court Wednesday to support her boyfriend A$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$AP Relli, real name Terell Ephron, seen testifying at Wednesday’s hearing
Prosecutors allege that on November 6, 2021, Mayers pointed a gun at his former friend during a confrontation, shooting at him and leaving him with minor injuries.
A$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.
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.
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 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.