A Florida woman charged with attempting to murder Rihanna appeared in court to enter a not guilty plea Wednesday.
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, also pleaded not guilty through her lawyer to more than a dozen other felony counts in Los Angeles Superior Court, The Associated Press reports.
Ortiz was charged with attempting to kill Rihanna, along with 10 counts of assault on a person with a semi-automatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an inhabited vehicle or dwelling, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors say Rihanna, her partner A$AP Rocky, her mother, and her three children, RZA Athleston, 3, Riot Rose, 2, and five-month-old Rocki Irish Mayers, were all at home during the time of the shooting, and many others were at their home in the Beverly Hills area when Ortiz allegedly opened fire on the property on March 8.
Ortiz’s lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Derek Ray Dillman, entered the plea on her behalf as Ortiz appeared behind glass in a custody area. She only spoke to agree to waive her right to a speedy preliminary hearing.
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Her lawyer asked that her bail be reduced from US$1.9 million to $70,000 based on her ability to pay. The judge declined the request and kept the bail the same.
At her first appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 11, Ortiz’s lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf, but then withdrew it in favour of postponing the arraignment.
Ortiz, a licensed speech pathologist, could get life in prison if convicted on all charges — all 14 counts against her are felonies.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman said when Ortiz was charged that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were together in an Airstream trailer at the time of the shooting, while her mother, their children and staffers were in the main house.
The three counts of firing at a dwelling were for Rihanna’s house, her trailer and a neighbour’s house, prosecutors said. The 10 assault counts were for Rihanna and family, two staffers and two people in the neighbouring house.
“When an individual comes into our community and decides to shoot it up, that individual will be arrested and held fully accountable for her actions,” Hochman said outside the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month.
“L.A.-based celebrities should not be additionally worried because of this,” Hochman said, “in large part because of the response of the police.”
Judge Theresa McGonigle issued a protective order for Ortiz to stay away from Rihanna and A$AP Rocky and their home after the shooting. McGonigle also said Ortiz is not allowed to possess any firearms or ammunition, along with several other conditions.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to a report of the shooting at 1:15 p.m. local time on March 8 in the Beverly Hills Post Office neighbourhood, an LAPD spokesperson told Global News.
The suspect is accused of firing multiple rounds with what police described as an AR-15-style rifle from inside a vehicle, targeting the home of the Love on the Brain singer.
The reports say police discovered bullet-holes in a gate at Rihanna’s home, as well as in an RV parked in the driveway of the property.
This isn’t the first time the Grammy-winning singer has experienced a serious incident at her home.
In 2018, a 27-year-old man broke into Rihanna’s house after hopping a fence, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
Rihanna was not home at the time and the man, identified as Eduardo Leon, spent 12 hours inside the home before he was discovered by the singer’s assistant.
Leon pleaded no contest to stalking and was ordered to stay away from Rihanna for 10 years. He was sentenced to formal probation for five years and placed on GPS monitoring for 90 days.
— with files from The Associated Press
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