Lisette Ortiz faces charges for allegedly discharging at least 20 bullets at the residence of Rihanna, her partner A$AP Rocky, and their children. Ortiz has entered a plea of not guilty.
LOS ANGELES — In a significant development on Tuesday, a judge decided to halt the legal proceedings against a woman accused of attempting to murder Rihanna. Charged with numerous felonies, the case has now been redirected to a mental health court to assess her capability to face trial.
During a private meeting in the judge’s chambers, Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman expressed concerns about the mental stability of his client, 35-year-old Ivanna Lisette Ortiz from Orlando, Florida, according to court records. Ortiz stands accused of shooting at the home of Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and their children while they were present, and she has pleaded not guilty.
Judge Shannon K. Cooley has mandated psychiatric assessments and has provisionally assigned the case to a specialized Hollywood mental health court. This court will ascertain whether Ortiz can comprehend the legal process and participate in her trial.
“Ensuring Ms. Ortiz’s rights are upheld, including her ability to collaborate with counsel and engage in a rational defense, is an ethical duty of both the legal team and the court,” Dillman conveyed in an email to The Associated Press.
If she is found incompetent, she could be held indefinitely in a state hospital until she is able to face the charges. She is set to appear June 2 in the same courtroom where a judge recently found that a man accused of stalking Jennifer Aniston was incompetent to stand trial.
At a hearing a week earlier, Cooley had declined to pause the process for mental health evaluation, and Ortiz objected, saying she wanted the case to proceed on the path to trial. She did not appear in court on Tuesday. Cooley ordered that she should continue to be held on nearly $2 million bail.
An email to prosecutors seeking comment was not immediately answered.
Police and prosecutors allege that on March 8, Ortiz pulled up in a Tesla to the Beverly Hills-area property of the singing superstar Rihanna and her rapper partner A$AP Rocky, pointed an AR-15 style rifle out the window and sprayed at least 20 bullets toward the property and a neighboring house. No one was injured.
Shots hit an Airstream trailer that Rihanna and Rocky were inside, according to police interviews with the couple. Investigators found bullet holes in the trailer and on the exterior wall of the home’s second-floor nursery, where the three kids were with their nanny.
Investigators said that after her arrest later that day, Ortiz told them “I wasn’t attempting murder,” according to a police report.
Ortiz is charged with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one for each of the people on the two properties. She’s also charged with three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling.
Ortiz had no prior police record, authorities said. Public records show she had been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade.
Authorities have not discussed a motive or described any connection between her and Rihanna.
A nine-time Grammy Award winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.”
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