Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, the Florida woman accused of opening fire on the Los Angeles home of Rihanna and partner A$AP Rocky, has pleaded not guilty.
Ortiz, 35, entered her plea in a downtown L.A. courtroom on Wednesday, March 25, as prosecutors revealed new details about the case.
Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott alleged Ortiz fired about 20 rounds at the house, “putting numerous lives at risk,” Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.
Bott told the court Ortiz was found after the shooting with a rifle, ammunition, and a disguise.
“This case involves a dangerous, deliberate shooting into occupied homes,” Bott said. “This is the kind of conduct that could easily have resulted in multiple homicides.”
Public Defender Derek Ray Dillman, entered the plea on Ortiz’s behalf as she stood behind a dividing glass. The Associated Press reported she was wearing yellow jail clothes and had her hair in braids.
Ortiz remains jailed on $1.875 million bail, after the judge lowered her bail amount during a March 10 hearing from an initial $10.2 million.
The judge also issued a protective order at the previous hearing and told Ortiz to stay away from Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, if she eventually makes bail.
She’s charged with 14 counts — one count of attempted murder involving Rihanna; 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm; two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling; and one count of shooting at an inhabited vehicle; along with an allegation that she intentionally discharged a rifle.
If convicted as charged, she faces up to life in state prison.
Prosecutors said Ortiz drove up to the front gate of the superstar singer’s home in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of L.A. on Sunday, March 8, and fired a semiautomatic weapon from a white Tesla.
“Rihanna was there with her partner, her three children, her mother and two staff people, representing eight of the 10 of the counts of dealing with an assault with a semi-automatic firearm,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters earlier this month.
Hochman said Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, and A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, were both inside an Airstream trailer on the property when the gunfire erupted.
Bullets pierced the trailer, a wall surrounding the home, and another house in the neighborhood. But no one was injured.
LAPD officers swarmed the neighborhood after the shooting and squad cars blocked off the area. Urban Hollywood 411 was at the scene on March 8, and only residents who could provide identification were allowed to cross the police blockade.
An LAPD helicopter followed the suspect’s vehicle to the Sherman Oaks Galleria shopping center, about 25 minutes away, and the suspect was arrested.
Ortiz is a licensed speech pathologist, and has a history of mental health issues. She was once involuntarily committed and lost custody of her then 10-year-old child, TMZ reported.
An attorney for her ex-husband, Jed Nikko Valdez Sangalang, told the outlet Ortiz was previously “Baker Acted,” meaning authorities temporarily placed her in a psychiatric facility against her will under state law. Sangalang gained full custody of the couple’s child in 2024.
According to the website Arrests.org, she had three previous arrests in Florida, including one for battery domestic violence.
The LAPD rarely releases suspect booking photos, but Ortiz has three mugshots online from her arrests in Florida.
In previous social media posts, she ranted about Rihanna and claimed the singer “wants to kill me.”
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