Judge orders mental health evaluation for the woman accused of attempting to murder Rihanna
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Tuesday paused the prosecution of a woman accused of the crime Attempted murder of Rihanna and more than a dozen other crimes, sent the case to a mental health court, which will determine whether he is competent to stand trial.
At a meeting in a judge’s chambers in Los Angeles, Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman said he had doubts about the mental competency of his client, Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, Florida, according to court documents. Ortiz pleaded not guilty to shooting into his home Rihannahis partner A$AP Rocky and when their children are at home.
Judge Shannon K. Cooley ordered a psychiatric evaluation and temporarily assigned the case to a Hollywood mental health court that specializes in determining whether defendants can understand and complete trial proceedings.
“It is the ethical obligation of counsel and the court to ensure that Ms. Ortiz’s rights are protected, including by assisting counsel in rationally conducting her defense,” Dillman said in an email to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors declined to comment.
If found incompetent, he could be held in a state hospital indefinitely until he faces charges. He said on June 2 that the judge had recently heard that a man Following Jennifer Aniston He was incompetent to stand trial.
At a hearing a week ago, Cooley had refused to pause the mental health evaluation process, and Ortiz had objected, saying he wanted the case to proceed to trial. He did not appear in court Tuesday. Cooley ordered that he remain held on bail of nearly $2 million.
Police and prosecutors allege Ortiz pulled up to the singing superstar’s Beverly Hills estate in a Tesla on March 8. Rihanna and his rapper partner A$AP Rocky pointed an AR-15-style rifle out the window and fired at least 20 bullets into the property and a neighboring home. No one was injured.
According to police interviews with the couple, gunshots struck the Airstream trailer that Rihanna and Rocky were inside. Investigators found bullet holes in the trailer and in the exterior wall of the second-floor nursery of the home where the three children were found with their nanny.
Investigators said that after his arrest later that day, Ortiz told them “I wasn’t attempting murder,” according to the police report.
Ortiz is charged with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one for each of the people at the two properties. He is also accused of shooting into an occupied vehicle or dwelling three times.
Authorities said Ortiz had no prior police record. Public records show he has been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade.
Authorities have not discussed any motive or revealed any connection between him and Rihanna.
Nine-time Grammy Award winner Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.”
