LOS ANGELES – For the first time since her boyfriend A$AP Rocky was hauled before the courts on gun assault charges, Rihanna has broken her silence, thanking divine intervention after he walked away a free man from a California court.
The pop icon, 36, took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday night to mark the moment with a heartfelt message celebrating the verdict, which spared Rocky from a potential 24-year prison sentence if convicted.
“The glory belongs to God and to God alone,” she wrote, adding, “Thankful, humbled by His mercy,” she said before signing off with praying hands emojis.
A jury found Rocky not guilty of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, stemming from a 2021 shooting incident with a former friend in Los Angeles.
Attorneys for the hip-hop artist and actor, who is the longtime partner of the singer and businesswoman, had argued the weapon was a prop gun that only fired blanks.
A$AP Rocky did not testify in the trial. Rihanna was present in the courtroom on Tuesday when the verdict was read.
Rocky dived into the gallery to hug family including Rihanna, the singer, businesswoman, and mother of his two young sons, and embraced his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, after the verdict was read.
“Thank y’all for saving my life,” he told jurors.
John Lewin, a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, had asked the jury not to be swayed by the court appearances of Rihanna, who was a frequent presence during the 13-day trial and attended the start of closing arguments last week with the pair’s two young sons.
“Rocky did not want her here,” Tacopina said. “He wanted to shield her from this. Wild horses couldn’t keep her away.”
The jury reached a unanimous decision after deliberating for about three hours following the conclusion of closing arguments in the case last week.
The Harlem, New York-born entertainer, before going into the trial, had declined an offer from prosecutors of a six-month jail sentence and probation.
