Judge Denies Competency Hearing for Rihanna Shooter

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shannon K. Cooley ruled on May 13 that Ivanna Lisette Ortiz will not be sent to competency proceedings in the criminal case accusing her of shooting at Rihanna’s Beverly Crest-area home. The judge said after a closed hearing that there was “not substantial evidence of incompetence,” according to ABC7 and other local reports. Ortiz, 35, is charged with attempted murder and multiple firearms offenses tied to the March 8 shooting. Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman had told the court he was “expressing a doubt” about Ortiz’s mental competence, a step that can pause a prosecution while a defendant is evaluated for fitness to stand trial. Cooley’s ruling means the case stays on its normal criminal track for now. A further court date was set for May 19 to schedule a hearing on whether there is enough evidence to hold Ortiz for trial. (abc7.com) ### Who is the defendant, and what is she accused of doing? Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, an Orlando, Florida, resident, is accused of firing at least 20 rounds from an AR-15-style or assault-style rifle toward Rihanna’s property and a neighboring home on March 8, prosecutors and police said. No one was injured in the shooting, but authorities said the gunfire struck parts of the property, including an Airstream trailer and areas near the house. (abc7.com) The criminal complaint listed 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 firearm-use allegations, ABC7 reported. KTLA reported that prosecutors have said Ortiz could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. (usnews.com) ### What did the judge say about competence? Judge Cooley said the defense had not presented enough to justify competency proceedings, according to ABC7’s account of the hearing. The legal standard at that stage was whether there was substantial evidence that Ortiz was unable to understand the proceedings or assist counsel, and Cooley said that threshold had not been met. That finding was limited to whether the case should be suspended for evaluation; it was not a ruling on guilt or innocence. (abc7.com) Rolling Stone and other outlets reported that Ortiz herself opposed delaying the case and pushed to move ahead with a probable-cause hearing. Reuters could not independently verify every detail of those accounts from the court hearing, but multiple reports agreed that the defense request was denied on May 13. ### What do court records and police accounts say happened at the house? (abc7.com) Associated Press reported on March 25 that a police report made public in a court filing said Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were inside an Airstream trailer on the property when shots were fired. Rihanna told detectives she heard loud metallic bangs, saw bullet holes in the trailer’s front window, woke Rocky and then ran into the main house, where their children, her mother and staff members were located, AP reported. (rollingstone.com) The same police account said a bullet hole was found on the exterior wall of a second-floor nursery and multiple bullet holes were found in gates and walls around the property. ABC7 separately reported that investigators documented impacts on the gate, a wooden fence, the Airstream’s windshield, a patio area and the exterior wall of a nursery room, as well as damage to a neighboring residence. (usnews.com) ### What has happened in court before this ruling? On March 25, Ortiz pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to attempted murder and the other felony counts, according to AP and KTLA. A judge also declined at that hearing to reduce her bail, which KTLA reported at about $1.8 million and ABC News reported at $1.875 million. (usnews.com) District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in March that Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, their three children and Rihanna’s mother were at the property when the shots were fired. Prosecutor Alexander Bott later told the court that Ortiz’s alleged conduct put “numerous lives at risk,” according to ABC7. ### What comes next in the case? May 19 is the next scheduled court date for Ortiz, and Judge Cooley is expected to set the timing for a probable-cause hearing at that appearance. (usnews.com) If the judge later finds sufficient evidence at that hearing, the case would move toward trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. (abc7.com) (ktla.com)