Woman pleads not guilty to attempted murder of Rihanna

WorldEntertainment
26 Mar 2026 • 4:16 PM MYT
Euronews
Euronews

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A Florida woman, Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, is accused of opening fire on the property in Los Angeles when superstar Rihanna and partner A$AP Rocky, as well as their three young children and Rihanna’s mother, were home on 8 March.

Police and prosecutors said that Ortiz pointed the rifle out the window of a white Tesla and sprayed at least 20 bullets toward the property and a neighboring home in the Beverly Crest neighbourhood.

No one was injured in the incident.

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Aerial shot of singer Rihanna's home in Los Angeles ABC7 Los Angeles via AP
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Ortiz is charged with one count of attempted murder of the nine-time Grammy winner, 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and three counts of shooting at an occupied dwelling.

Ortiz, a licensed speech pathologist, has pleaded not guilty.

Her lawyer, deputy public defender Derek Ray Dillman, spoke in court as Ortiz appeared behind glass in a custody area.

“Can I say one sentence?” Ortiz said. “I would like to say that I wasn't attempting murder. But that's all I wanted to say.”

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Image taken from video provided by ABC7 Los Angeles on Monday 9 March 2026 shows what appears to be bullet holes on a wall at singer Rihanna's home ABC7 Los Angeles via AP

The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said: "This case involves a dangerous, deliberate shooting into occupied homes. This is the kind of conduct that could easily have resulted in multiple homicides."

The 35-year-old faces life in prison if convicted on all charges. She has been jailed on $1.8m bail.