A Florida woman accused of opening fire on Rihanna’s Beverly Crest home in March has been indicted on 14 felony counts, including attempted murder and assault with an assault weapon. Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 36, of Orlando, was accused of driving to the property March 8 and firing a semiautomatic rifle multiple times while Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, their three children and other people were on the property or at a neighboring residence. The indictment was returned June 18 and unsealed Sept. 30.
According to prosecutors, gunfire struck an Airstream trailer occupied by Rihanna and A$AP Rocky and the exterior of a nursery where their children and a nanny were located. No one was injured. The indictment includes one count of attempted murder, 10 counts of assault with an assault weapon and three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or camper. The assault charges correspond to people present on the two properties, including the couple’s three young children.
Ortiz pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on $2.65 million bail. She was previously subjected to months of psychiatric evaluations and was ruled mentally competent to stand trial shortly before the indictment was unsealed. Her next pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.
Prosecutors have not publicly established a motive or identified a known personal connection between Ortiz and Rihanna. Authorities have said Ortiz had made increasingly hostile social media posts about the singer before the shooting. She was arrested in Sherman Oaks after fleeing the scene. If convicted as charged, Ortiz could face up to life in California state prison. The charges remain allegations, and Ortiz is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com