A woman accused of opening fire at Rihanna’s Beverly Crest-area residence earlier this year, while the singer was home with her partner, children, and staff, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a grand jury indictment. Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 36, faces 14 counts, including attempted murder.
Ortiz’s indictment was unsealed in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom following a determination that she was mentally competent to stand trial. The charges include one count of attempted murder involving Rihanna (whose real name is Robyn Fenty), 10 counts of assault with an assault weapon, two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and one count of shooting at an inhabited vehicle. The indictment also includes allegations that Ortiz personally and intentionally discharged a rifle during the alleged crimes on March 8.
Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott stated outside court, "This is a person who wanted to kill Rihanna. Everyone else was collateral damage." Ortiz had initially faced nearly identical charges in March, but that earlier case was dismissed as a result of the grand jury indictment. The assault with a semiautomatic firearm charge was subsequently upgraded to assault with an assault weapon in the indictment.
The incident reportedly occurred around 1:20 p.m. on March 8. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in March that Ortiz, an Orlando, Florida woman, is accused of driving to Rihanna’s home just west of Beverly Hills and firing multiple times from a semi-automatic weapon, identified by LAPD Capt. Mike Bland as an AR-15-style rifle.
According to an LAPD document, Ortiz allegedly drove a white Tesla Model 3 to the neighborhood and fired at least 20 rounds at the occupied residences. Bullet holes and impacts were discovered on the exterior gate of Rihanna's residence, a wooden fence, the front windshield of an Airstream trailer, a patio area, and on the exterior wall of a “nursery room.” Bullet impacts were also observed on a neighboring residence.
Rihanna told police she was in the Airstream trailer with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky (Rakim Mayers), who was sleeping, when she heard approximately 10 loud banging sounds. After the noise stopped, she noticed bullet holes in the windshield directly in front of her. She reportedly grabbed Mayers, told him they were being shot at, pushed them both to the ground, and then ran into the garage to secure their children and staff. The singer also informed police that she had received past death threats via social media, though most had not escalated to a serious level.
Ortiz was arrested hours later at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, where law enforcement reportedly recovered a rifle, ammunition, and a wig. She has been ordered to remain jailed in lieu of more than $2.6 million bail and is scheduled to return to court on October 29 for a pretrial hearing. If convicted, Ortiz could face a sentence of up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Records indicate Ortiz has been licensed as a speech-language pathologist in California since 2016, but she has been barred from practicing while the criminal case is pending. She was also previously involuntarily committed and lost custody of her then 10-year-old child. Social media posts believed to be from Ortiz's Facebook page show multiple references to celebrities, including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Cardi B. Posts from February and December last year referenced Rihanna, with one stating Ortiz was waiting for the singer “to say something to me directly instead of sneaking around like you talking to me where I’m not at.” Another video showed her saying Rihanna wanted to kill her. The alleged motivation behind Ortiz's actions remains under investigation by law enforcement.
