Rihanna Shooting Suspect Grins During Court Appearance as Bail Remains at $1.875 Million
The woman accused of opening fire on Rihanna's Beverly Hills mansion while the singer and her family were inside appeared smiling during a brief court hearing on Wednesday. Ivanna Ortiz, 35, made her first appearance at Los Angeles Superior Court since pleading not guilty last month to fourteen charges, including attempted murder of the global pop icon.
Courtroom Appearance and Serious Charges
Handcuffed and dressed in a yellow prison shirt with blue pants, the blond-haired Ortiz smiled as a sheriff's deputy escorted her from holding cells into the downtown Los Angeles criminal courtroom. Prosecutors allege she drove to the star's $13.8 million estate on March 8 and fired approximately twenty rounds from an AR-15 assault rifle toward the property.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Ortiz faces ten counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling. If convicted on all charges, she could potentially face life imprisonment. The case has drawn significant attention due to the high-profile nature of the alleged victim and the brazen nature of the attack.
Bail Arguments and Judicial Decisions
During her arraignment last month, Judge Theresa McGonigle refused to reduce Ortiz's $1.875 million bail, keeping her incarcerated. Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott argued that the shooting was premeditated, with Ortiz arriving at Rihanna's home "with a loaded weapon, ammunition and a wig as a disguise." Bott emphasized the potential consequences, stating, "This could easily have resulted in multiple homicides…of adults and children."
On Wednesday, the newly assigned judge, Shannon Cooley, also denied a plea from Ortiz's public defender, Derek Dillman, to lower the bail amount. Judge Cooley scheduled another court appearance for May 13, when a date will be set for Ortiz's full preliminary hearing. The judge additionally refused to allow photographs of Ortiz to be taken in the courtroom, maintaining strict control over the proceedings.
Miraculous Escape and Terrifying Details
Remarkably, no one was injured when Ortiz allegedly drove her white Tesla Model 3 to the star's luxurious five-bedroom home and fired multiple shots toward the main residence and a neighboring house. Rihanna, 38, her partner rapper A$AP Rocky, and their three young children—sons RZA and Riot, aged three and two respectively, plus six-month-old daughter Rocki—were all on the property during the attack.
According to court documents obtained by Daily Mail, Rihanna was in the front of an Airstream trailer parked on the grounds while Rocky slept in the rear. The police report states she "suddenly heard approximately 10 loud sounds, like something banging on metal." When the noise stopped, she opened the trailer's curtains and observed bullet holes in the windshield directly where she had been standing.
Rihanna immediately grabbed Rocky from bed, told him they were being shot at, and pushed both of them to the ground for protection. They then ran into the garage of the main residence to secure their children and staff members. The pop diva's mother and two staff employees were also present in the home, accounting for eight of the ten assault charges. The remaining two charges apply to neighbors inside the nearby house that was also struck by gunfire.
Background of the Accused and Disturbing Online Activity
Ortiz, a licensed speech pathologist who describes herself as a "Christian influencer," has been targeting Rihanna through a series of bizarre and disturbing online posts. She has bashed the singer on Facebook, suggesting Rihanna had spoken negatively about her, though no actual connection between the two women has been established.
In a particularly disturbing video posted in January, Ortiz declared, "The way that Rihanna wants to kill me, she's the one who wants to kill me... Listen, Rihanna, when you die, God is taking me to my future. You want to kill me? Shut up. Okay, shut up. Yeah, she's a witch. She's a witch. I'm a watchman. She's a witch. Get that stupid girl out of here."
Legal History and Personal Circumstances
Ortiz has a history of prior encounters with law enforcement and was arrested approximately thirty minutes after the shooting when police helicopters tracked her car to a parking lot at Sherman Oaks Galleria, about twelve miles from Beverly Hills. Authorities noted that the Tesla was found quickly partly because of how visibly dirty it appeared.
According to news reports, Ortiz lost custody of her ten-year-old child with ex-husband Jed Nikko Valdez Sangalang in April 2024, following her involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility under Florida state law. A Florida judge awarded Sangalang full physical custody and barred Ortiz from all contact with the child, including in-person meetings, phone calls, video chats, text messages, and emails. Ortiz filed an appeal to overturn this custody decision in December of last year.
Ortiz will remain in prison until at least May 13 unless she can raise the $1.875 million bail, which legal observers consider highly unlikely given the circumstances. The case continues to develop as prosecutors prepare their evidence for the upcoming preliminary hearing.
