Rihanna made a supportive appearance at her partner A$AP Rocky’s assault trial, showing love and solidarity on the day his alleged victim was slated to testify.
The pop icon was seen entering the courthouse but left before the day’s proceedings concluded.
Rihanna’s early departure seemed linked to escalating tensions within the courtroom. The atmosphere turned hostile during a confrontation between A$AP Rocky’s defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, and A$AP Relli.
The situation unfolded as Relli hesitated to respond to a particular line of questioning, prompting the judge to step in to clarify the queries posed by Tacopina.
During a moment when an Instagram photo of Relli was displayed in court, he reacted emotionally, expressing concerns about receiving death threats and threats against his daughter.
He questioned the relevance of his social media presence to the case, particularly denying accusations of extortion.
“Why are you showing my Instagram? I am already getting death threats, people are threatening my daughter,” he said. “Because you’re saying I’m an extortionist and putting my whole life on the internet. What does this have to do with anything?”
Later in the trial, discussions shifted towards Relli’s alleged bullet wounds sustained during the altercation with Rocky.
When the credibility of his injuries came under scrutiny, Relli cited an alleged assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate, Donald Trump as an example of how seemingly minor a bullet wound could be.]
The judge intervened, urging Relli to halt his statements before allowing Rocky’s attorney to resume the cross-examination.
The courtroom atmosphere grew tense, leading to Rihanna’s decision to leave the proceedings prematurely.