imagine being locked up in the same notorious prison as a legendary Mogul what if Hip Hop's rebellious Spirit now faces 24 years behind bars before jury selection began today in La ASAP Rocky turned down a final prosecution plea offer of 180 days in jail if he would plead guilty to one of his two felony counts the Grammy nominated rapper whose real name is rakee Mayor is accused of firing a gun at a former friend outside a Hollywood Hotel in 2021 he has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer says Mayors is looking forward to clearing his
name if convicted Mayors could get a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison opening statements could come as soon as tomorrow in today's explosive expose we reveal how a judge's controversial decision could send ASAP Rocky to the very facility where Diddy remains confined sparking a debate that shakes the very foundations of celebrity Justice I was the warden at the Metropolitan Detention Center from U uh the spring of 20 7 to the late fall of 2009 so I was there for a little over two and a half years as warden so I'm very familiar with the
facility what I would have expected her to experience when she entered the facility was first of all she would have come in full restraints which would have included leg irons a belly chain to a hat to attach handcuffs and the handcuffs would be attached to the belly chain to for uh to immobilize her hands she would be strip searched she would be processed in terms terms of fingerprint photographs she would be asked a battery of questions relevant to security and safety she would undergo a cursory medical exam uh fill out a multitude of forms that
the government requires and then be assigned to a cell ASAP Rocky born Rakim Mayors strides into a Los Angeles courthouse with an air of defiance and determination flanked by his partner Rihanna and his ever supportive mother I think her presence there had any impact especially when it comes to the jury no and he sips tea I mean let's put it this way you've got Rihanna she's a big name in one way shape or form or another either as her name alone being the partner of Asaf Rocky or the fact that she is the mother of
his children I've seen at least in some cases not the high-profile cases when you have the mother of the children in there jurors do sometimes contemplate hey if I put this person in jail for x amount of years what's that going to happen to the family we also know during jury selection at least one juror did conent PL that her presence may have an impact on the case and I don't think it's coincidental at least at this point that she showed up specifically when the main complaintant in the case was testifying you can read the
tea leaves how you want there but it does seem to have some kind of impact as to why she was there this is not just another CHT appearance it's a turning point in a trial that could redefine the fate of one of Hip Hop's brightest stars the charges felony assault with a semi-automatic firearm following a chaotic altercation with with his former friend and collaborator ASAP RI outside a Swanky Hollywood Hotel he did he absolutely did cuz keeping keep in mind here we do not have the actual weapon um the shell casings that were allegedly picked
up at the scene were picked up by the victim Terell and handed into police uh and then the videos that we see you're you know we haven't seen them all we've only seen a little sample of them the question is you do see a scuffle but you don't exactly do you know what I'm saying so there's a lot of wiggle room here for for a possible acquit here the stakes are astronomical a not- guilty plea that has set the stage for a dramatic Showdown where the consequences could be nothing short of life-altering known for its
fashion style and flare hipop Star as Sab Rocky is now facing years behind bars potentially his tral is what's trending in True Crime this morning is the 36-year-old turned down a sweetheart deal on the eve of his jury selection Rocky's real name is Rakim mayor and he declined a final offer from Los Angeles prosecutors to spend 180 days in jail the agreement also included a 7-year suspended sentence and three years of probation but he said no way the Grammy nominated rapper is accused of shooting a former friend of his near a Hollywood Hotel back in
202 and so now if he is convicted he's looking at a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison as the trial unfolds gripping surveillance footage and heated courtroom testimonies paint a picture of a fateful night in November 20121 REI whose real name is Terell Efron took the stand to recount a tale of fractured friendship and betrayal according to his account a once Unbreakable Bond within the ASAP Mob was shattered when a disagreement escalated into violence let him know how I feel can you explain that to the jury more when you say I know I'm never
going to see Rocky again what is that I mean the circumstances I mean situation that happened like why would we ever see each other you know what I mean so I felt like I didn't want him to go back and then talk about it and everybody just laugh and think oh Rock just pulled the gun on rail shot it well before then he didn't shoot yet but pulled the gun on Rail and made this big scene you know what I mean so I'm like for I know even 15 years I known everybody over there just
just about 15 not Jamal but I know for like 15 years I believe you said yesterday that when you went into this uh what you call linking up with him it was to repair repair things with him right after he pulled the gun on you how are you feeling at that point I mean I mean he grabbed me first so that everything all betes off the table I'm I'm thinking what are we doing here like you know what I mean Witnesses describe how rocky in a moment of Panic or perhaps Defiance allegedly brandished a handgun
and fired a shot one that grazed re's left hand the prosecution laid out A Narrative of aggression and recklessness bolstered by Snippets of video that capture the tense moment when Rocky's hand moves to his waistband well I don't really remember but from when I like it was more like was fast he turned around he turned around and then it was like Bo you know what I'm saying like not like okay you said that as he as he shot the gun the first time mhm you you said your hand fell Hot Correct yeah um where on
your hand felt hot my left hand where left hand uh just right above my Knuckles like my Knuckles right here below my Knuckles so it's right here and if I was the full you would see other injuries on that picture from that day from my Knuckles and all around here that's why you know what I'm saying like Okay yeah I when you point this up I describe it so my what he's pointing to are the middle Knuckles on his left hand uh kind of he has his hand sort of curled hold on can't talk at
the same time so wait go ahead I think I was done he went he he motioned with his right hand across his left hand uh middle Knuckles ask another question yet in a Twist that defies expectation Rocky's defense led by lawyer Joe takapa argues that the weapon was nothing more than a prop gun from a music video set a mere artifact incapable of inflicting real harm uh two things first of all it's highly problematic for the prosecution that the alleged victim finds the evidence so the police are there the police are crime scene people they're
going around the crime scene they don't find any shell casings but it just so happens hours later that the alleged victim says gee look what I found so that's high highly problematic also we don't know if they searched ASAP Rocky's house can the prosecution show that this guy even has guns has he ever had a 9mm does he have some other type of firearm so I think that whole thing is problematic second thing this whole called Ambush with the uh the the new theory that he had a prop gun the defense doesn't have to disclose
their theory yes they have to disclose Witnesses just like the prosecution but this whole idea of Ambush is not ense the defense doesn't have to say a word the defense could have a theory one day and a second theory the next day so this whole idea of Ambush yeah it's good PR it's something that you're going to give to the media but it's nonsense and what asap's attorney has conceeded to in opening arguments he claims that ASAP was carrying a prop gun that it was not a real gun but a prop gun that he was
using because he felt that he was under threat uh there are surveillance videos from different angles it shows a scuffle it shows someone who looks like ASAP Rocky um holding a gun behind his back but again he's claiming that's a prop gun uh keep in mind that when a search warrant was served on Rocky's home uh they did find weapons he does have concealed carry licenses however those weapons don't match the shell casings from the scene while the courtroom drama in Los Angeles intensifies a parallel narrative emerges on the east coast in Brooklyn the Metropolitan
Detention Center has become synonymous with harsh realities and Grim conditions a place where legendary figures are forced to confront the consequences of their actions but the conditions of the prison are far from homey notoriously described as quote Dreadful as one judge put it some of the bench have even moved away from sending nonviolent defendants there in April a group of detainees that prosecutors said were MS-13 gang members in court documents stabbed an inmate 44 times in an attack caught on camera two shivs were recovered from the attack you see them here the victim survived and
in the last 3 years alone four inmates have died by Suicide and violence is not the only issue accusations of medical neglect Staffing shortages smuggling of drugs some allegedly facilitated by employees Diddy the multi faceted Mogul known by many aliases such as puffy and love currently resides Within These Walls a stark reminder that power and privilege can crumble in the face of the law I believe the reports and obviously Diddy is someone who's rich and famous and has lived a life of luxury for many years and now he's in federal prison during the holidays so
this isn't someone who's a hardened Criminal Who has spent a lot of time in custody so the fact that he's spending Christmas and new years's and future holidays in prison is probably finally getting to him so I'm not surprised that he cracked once a symbol of Untouchable success Diddy now endures Life Behind Bars grappling with charges ranging from sex trafficking by force to racketeering his trial Looms on the horizon and his continued incarceration only deepens the Intrigue now this afternoon he was scheduled to go before a judge here and have a Hearing in one of
the many civil cases that he's facing but we just learned a short time ago that at the very last minute that hearing naming sha Diddy combes in another uh legal issue with another legal issue in another civil suit was postponed at the very last minute with no future date scheduled and no explanation this is just one of the many questions growing number of questions in need of answers now last Thursday at the MDC where he is he is uh incarc currently incarcerated uh my sources tell me that Diddy was taken from MDC the Metropolitan Detention
Center about 10: at night to a nearby hospital for an MRI on his knee Skeptics thought there must have been a fight or he was attacked at the prison that's considered one of the most dangerous in America the irony is palpable ASAP Rocky a man whose music once epitomized the spirit of rebellion now risks being consigned to the same unforgiving environment as Diddy a prison notorious for its overcrowded cells rampant violence and systemic dysfunction you know we got a little bit of a glimpse of it from that former Warden who spoke with TMZ talking about
what the daily routine is here uh including a 6 a.m. wakeup call for every inmate there's 1600 inmates uh that are housed here he will be made to make his bed mop his floor keep his cell clean and he will get three meals a day adding up to 1,800 calories that's all they get uh the list of grievances though here at the MDC is long um there was a man here who was stabbed to death at the jail at 37 years old over the summer rampant violence poor conditions Staffing shortages lockdowns that inmate that was
murdered last year and the detainees who have been held at the MDC Brooklyn have complained for years about rampant violence horrific conditions Staffing shortages uh barred from leaving their cells for visits showers or exercise legal experts say that Diddy's trial on these serious charges on the Litany of sex trafficking charges will not be anytime soon most likely which is why his attorneys are continuing to fight to get him released immediately the judge's decision to align Rocky's fate with that of Diddy sends shock waves through the industry prompting a Cascade of questions how did we arrive
at a moment where two icons once symbols of artistic Freedom now face the Grim Prospect of extended confinement could the Relentless grip of the justice system be tightening around a generation that defined modern culture but no one no other race is affected like this when you think in terms of gun violence no other race of people is turning the guns on each other in the manner and at the rate of which we're doing and it's an epidemic and right now it lies at the feet of the music industry because we have a whole genre as
the trial in Los Angeles gathers momentum every moment in the courtroom feels charged with anticipation evidence will make clear that re is trying to leverage a fabricated story to extract money from Rock one of the videos presented shows a scuffle between the two that night the prosecution says that is where the firearm is captured on video Mr Efron will tell you that during the period of time that they are offc screen is when the defendant first produces that semi-automatic pistol they also played a video and audio of what they say is the moment Rocky fired
the weapon Mr Efron will tell you that at the time uh the shooting was happening he immediately felt a burning sensation to his hand which led him to believe that these were graze wounds from one of the bullets that was shot at him on one side the prose ution is determined to tie Rocky to a series of actions that they claim demonstrate a pattern of Reckless Behavior there was a major blow to the defense on the eve of trial and it was a ballistics report that prosecutors say can link Rocky to the actual bullet casings
that were found by REI on the scene before there was no link there had been no gun recovered what prosecutors say is that during the search of Rocky's home a 9mm magazine was found and that they knew he owned a 43 Glock the ballistics report says it's likely that a 43 Glock actually shot the bullets that would be consistent with these bullet casings so now the defense has to Pivot they're going to use expert testimony and they're going to argue that that report is baloney that report is not accurate and it's based on a faulty
investigator on the other his legal team is fighting two tooth and nail to dismantle the evidence a series of electronic Clues and eyewitness testimonies that could if left unchallenged seal his fate but the defense argues that Rocky despite having a license to carry was carrying a prop from a music video with partner Rian and was advised by security to carry it after being the victim of a stalker in home invasions it's used in pop movies and music videos it's also used scar Packers by looking and sounding like a real gun adding that Rocky fired blank
shots to stop Efron from continuing to attack a fellow crew member Rocky pleaded not guilty and turned down a plea deal that included 180 days in jail now if he is found guilty he faces the possibility of up to 24 years in prison the narrative is complex weaving together threads of personal betrayal industry politics and the weight of public opinion ah he snitched oh yeah he snitch I'm just playing no but they to beat his ass hey what's name AI he he like my not sure I'm beating his ass for Rocky when I catch him
man cuz bro you went back gang gang you locked the door bro like what like you went back and got shelves off the yeah this oh yeah hey this like dude A Min in Min Society he like he like hey look like Kane beating your ass [ __ ] Kane wait the police get the this tape it was like his wait they get a load of these shells get your [ __ ] hey F I don't know you as really folk but you just snitched on folks and all folks trying to do is well designer
and be with his famous girlfriend folk I let the same life as him folk with Rihanna's silent but potent presence in the gallery the trial takes on an almost cinematic quality a scene where every whispered exchange and furtive glance adds to the mounting tension good morning yeah there was a lot of action in the courtroom last week but none of it really has to do with the trial the evidence or the facts uh Rihanna was in court several days last week in downtown Los Angeles she sat between ASAP Rocky's mom and sister the first two
days she managed to get in and out and avoid camera she went in the back way and then on her final day we did get some video of Rihanna exiting what's interesting here is also we're told that Rihanna and ASAP Rocky actually walked into the courtroom together from the hallway they were seen by the jurors other jurors uh so certainly making a statement there beyond the immediate legal battles there is a broader cultural Reckoning at play the very idea that ASAP Rocky might join Diddy in the MDC is a stark reminder that no one is
truly Above the Law And Hip Hop was just the beginning over the past two decades he expanded his business across several lifestyle categories including the John fashion and fragrance lines a wildly successful sarak vodka partnership with British Spirits conglomerate diio and founding the rolt TV network over that period he earned nearly a billion dollars in 2019 Forbes estimated com's personal wealth at $740 million both comes and his team later claimed that he was a billionaire the severity of potential federal charges Colmes could face enormous Financial penalties and a long prison sentence comes has not been
criminally charged comes' former Manhattan headquarters for bad boy worldwide is now just a pile of rebel and much like his former corporate Castle The 54-year-old Hip Hop Moguls Empire has crumbled along with it the courtroom is more than just a venue for legal proceedings it's a stage where personal histories and public personas Collide the the the relationship that you're describing in high school were the two of you close friends like did you see him every day or was this sort of a friendship where you knew of him but but didn't really know him no no
we knew each other we knew each other um we knew each other very well um ASAP Rocky's refusal to accept a plea deal that would have allowed him a brief 180-day stint Behind Bars is emblematic of his unyielding Defiance instead of opting for a guaranteed short sentence he has chosen to gamble on the possibility of full exoneration even if it means facing a potential 24-year prison term I think it says that Rocky believes that he's innocent I mean he says that he was carrying a prop gun a fake gun and he didn't make he didn't
shoot anybody he didn't do anything and I I think he really believes that because otherwise he probably would have taken the deal faced with a 24 potentially 24e sentence I believe so um it it was a good deal but if you're innocent then why take a deal at all exactly exactly for fron to you next please what does it say to you so allow me to take take the other side of the coin on this one he needs to really reconsider that decision rejecting that deal um he is facing some significant jail time and I
don't doubt I don't doubt that he has Faith In A system that he believes will not convict an innocent person uh and he may in fact be truly innocent he may have in fact have a wonderful defense but 180 days with some suspended time over your head versus possibly spending decades in jail um this is the high stakes table Julie and and I just I get really I get really really nervous when we start rejecting deals that involve days and we're facing consequences that involve decades the trial also brings to light the intricate dynamics of
celebrity relationships Rihanna courtroom appearance a first for the famed pop star in relation to Rocky's legal troubles has sparked a flurry of speculation if and when Rihanna shows up at the trial the jurors are going to notice and it's very clear both sides prosecution and defense know that Rihanna's presence could mean something to the jury the reason being she was a major topic of varder at jury selection some in fact being dismissed because they said if Rihanna was there it could actually sway their opinion is her presence a sign of unwavering support or is it
a calculated move to Shield herself from The Fallout of a trial that could redefine the boundaries of celebrity loyalty this case is not about Rihanna but I guess the da wants to make sure that people aren't so enamored with Rihanna they're they're going to be so Blinded By Their Love for Rihanna that they won't listen to the evidence and the facts in this case I don't think that's the case I think people are too smart for that we're ready to go we're ready to go I mean it's been a long time it's been a over
two years um obviously it's been something that's weighing over you know Rocky and and Rihanna and their fam's um heads for a while and um we're just ready we're anxious to get this thing underway and get this behind him the judge's ruling controversial and unapologetically blunt forces us to confront the unsettling truth that the structures designed to protect Society are sometimes the very mechanisms that ensure its most powerful are held accountable I please on no no you can't I can't respond to what he just said about the jury it it does it doesn't matter about
what he said about the jury that has no stop that has no bearing on any decision I'm going to make there's a record though there was a record I don't believe that you are unhappy with the jury Mr Luen might say you're unhappy with the jury but that's not I don't believe you are if you were you wouldn't have accepted the jury I believe that both sides are satisfied that with this jury and that both sides will get a fair trial you don't need to respond to it because it doesn't matter whether he does or
does not think you're happy with the jury I believe that you are satisfied with the jury is Asap Rocky's defiant courtroom stance a last ditch effort to dodge a 24-year sentence or is it the beginning of a reckoning that could shatter Hip Hop's Untouchable image could this be the turning point where power meets its match or just another twist in The Saga of celebrity accountability one thing is certain this story is far from Over the Grammy nominated rapper is accused of shooting at a former friend near a Hollywood Hotel back in 2021 Rocky's real name
is rakee Mayor and he declined a plea offer to spend 180 days in jail ahead of his trial he faces a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison if he's convicted let's take a look at the jury breakdown we've got 12 jurors who going to hear this case five of them are men seven of them are women according to TM Z none of the jurors including the four alternates are African-American none of them and we know the defense was taking issue with the pool earlier this week now the defense team plans to call witnesses to
testify that the alleged firearm seen on security footage alleged to be carried by Rocky was a starter pistol he carried as a prop pointing to why no shell casings were found at the scene the surveillance footage is great rainy of the actual shooting maybe hard to identify the shooters wearing a dark hoodie hard to see the face and we know that the alleged victim collected the spent cartridge casings himself and brought them to police which could prove to be problematic so if you saw my opening statement you're going to know what we're asking we're wondering
is this trial going to be a stinker in other words is this a bad case for the prosecution maybe maybe not let's see what our power panel thinks let's bring back in Criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Joe Tamborino and welcome in domestic violence expert and former law enforcement officer clonia King and media personality and artist headcrack good morning to you all okay is this one a stinker ladies first Claudia King what do you say it definitely sounds like it Julie because the prosecution made that offer of 180 days in jail to me that shows
that they don't have a ton of confidence in this case if they were going to let it go for just 180 days it sounds like the video is blurry it's hard to tell if it's really ASAP Rocky um there's the issue with the shell casings and the fact that the victim turned them over and collected them allegedly so I just see this being very problematic for the prosecution yeah great points Claudia thank you great point about the plea deal when you have such a sweetheart deal could mean that you know the case stinks uh head
crack I want to go to you next please uh your thoughts on this is this a stinker or maybe a solid case uh it sounds a little sloppy and I you know to you know like what she was saying if they're going to offer you 180 days which is way sweeter than 24 possible years in prison and you decide you know like I like our odds on this and I'm just going to go for it because we know what we know I think the defense probably feels like they have a very fortified you know defense
on their side that'll be able to proved that ASAP Rocky wasn't trying to really like hurt this man but you know just scare him off fend him off or whatever and uh it's just so problematic from the prosecution if you want to catch every pulse pounding update as this drama unfolds hit that like button subscribe and turn on notifications because the truth the truth is coming and you won't want to miss it