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Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder of Singer Rihanna
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Singer Rihanna delivers a speech after a meeting with the French President at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on July 26, 2017. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
By Reuters
3/26/2026Updated: 3/26/2026

LOS ANGELES—A Florida woman ‌pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the attempted murder of singer Rihanna after ‌authorities said she fired gunshots at ⁠the Grammy-winning musician’s Los Angeles mansion this month.

The woman, Ivana Lisette Ortiz, appeared briefly in Los Angeles Superior ​Court wearing yellow prison attire. Her attorney entered a plea ⁠of not guilty to the 14 charges she faces, which include one count of attempted murder and 10 felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Judge Theresa McGonigle rejected a request to reduce Ortiz’s bail, which is ‌set at $1.875 million. ⁠The judge also said Ortiz, 35, cannot work as a licensed speech therapist ‌in California while the case is pending.

Ortiz, who is from Orlando, faces a maximum sentence ​of life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors accused Ortiz of driving up ​to the front of Rihanna’s home ​in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles on a Sunday afternoon and firing ⁠approximately 20 gunshots. Rihanna, her partner A$AP Rocky and their three young children were home at the time, according to prosecutors. No one was struck ​by gunfire.

“This is the kind ⁠of conduct that easily could have resulted in numerous ​homicides,” Deputy District Attorney ​Alexander ‌Bott told the court.

Ortiz fled the scene but was arrested a short time later in Los Angeles. Bott said she ‌was found in a car with a rifle and a ⁠wig for a disguise.

Rihanna, singer of “We Found Love” and “Umbrella,” has won nine ​Grammy Awards.

By Lisa ‌Richwine

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