A woman accused of attempting to murder Rihanna and facing more than a dozen felony charges was set to appear in Los Angeles court on March 25 to enter a plea.
Authorities alleged that Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, from Orlando, Florida, had opened fire at the singer’s Beverly Hills property on March 8. At the time, Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky were in an Airstream trailer on the grounds, while their three children, Rihanna’s mother, and staff were inside the main house.
Ortiz faced 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an occupied dwelling or vehicle. One of the dwelling charges pertained to a neighbour’s home. If convicted on all counts, she could have faced life imprisonment. She was held on $1.8 million bail.
At her first court appearance on March 11, Ortiz’s lawyer initially entered a not guilty plea but then withdrew it to postpone the arraignment. The Public Defender’s Office said it would ensure Ortiz received full constitutional protections.
Prosecutors did not disclose where the bullets had landed or the motive behind the alleged attack, and any connection between Ortiz and Rihanna remained under investigation.
Rihanna, a nine-time Grammy Award winner with 14 Billboard Hot 100 number ones, founded Fenty Beauty in 2017. She and A$AP Rocky welcomed their third child, Rocki Irish Mayers, in September.
