A Florida woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the attempted murder of Rihanna after prosecutors alleged she drove to the Grammy-winning singer’s Los Angeles home and discharged approximately 20 rounds from an AR-15-style rifle at the property while the musician, her partner, and their three young children were inside.
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, entered her plea through her attorney at Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Theresa McGonigle. She faces one count of attempted murder, 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. If convicted on all counts, she faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The attack occurred on the afternoon of March 8 at Rihanna’s residence on Heather Road in Beverly Crest, a residential neighborhood on the northern edge of Beverly Hills.
Prosecutors say Ortiz drove up to the property at approximately 1:20 p.m. and opened fire before fleeing the scene. She was taken into custody roughly 30 minutes later in a Sherman Oaks parking lot. She was found in her car with the rifle, additional ammunition, and a wig prosecutors said she intended to use as a disguise.
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Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott told the court the attack endangered multiple lives. “This is the kind of conduct that easily could have resulted in numerous homicides,” he said. Rihanna, her partner Rakim Mayers, known professionally as A$AP Rocky, their three children, her mother, and two members of staff were all on the property at the time, according to District Attorney Nathan Hochman. No one was struck by gunfire.
Prosecutors alleged Ortiz fired an AR-15-style rifle at the exterior wall of the Beverly Crest property. The three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or vehicle covered Rihanna’s main house, an Airstream trailer where the singer and Mayers were present at the time, and a neighboring residence that was also struck.
Public records indicate Ortiz is a licensed speech-language pathologist in Florida, with an active state license issued in March 2015 and valid through December 2027. Her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Derek Ray Dillman, entered the not guilty plea on her behalf. Ortiz appeared behind glass in a custody area dressed in yellow jail clothes, speaking only to waive her right to a speedy preliminary hearing. The defense sought a reduction in bail from $1.875 million to $70,000, citing her financial circumstances. The judge declined.
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Investigators from the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division have been examining social media activity linked to Ortiz in the period before the shooting. In a post attributed to her from December, she allegedly wrote that she was “already threw with Rihanna” and told the singer to stop hiding. In a separate video, she reportedly claimed that Rihanna “wants to kill her.” Hochman said at the time of the initial charges that his office was still investigating those posts, and declined to publicly discuss a motive or describe any established connection between Ortiz and the singer.
Ortiz also has prior arrest records in Florida. An affidavit from a 2023 domestic incident described a confrontation with her former husband during a child drop-off, during which she made threatening statements and was recorded on video using a slur.
Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has nine Grammy Awards and 14 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella,” and “Disturbia.” She founded the cosmetics company Fenty Beauty in 2017. She and Mayers announced the birth of their third child, a daughter named Rocki Irish Mayers, in September 2025.
Ortiz remains subject to a court order prohibiting any contact with Rihanna or Mayers. She is due back in court on April 8, at which point a date for her preliminary hearing will be set. At that stage, prosecutors will be required to present sufficient evidence before a judge to establish that the case warrants proceeding to trial.