A court hearing in Los Angeles raised concerns about the accused woman’s mental fitness to stand trial, while prosecutors say no one was injured.
A case tied to a shooting at Rihanna’s West Los Angeles home is moving forward, but not without fresh scrutiny over whether the accused defendant is mentally fit to stand trial.
The Florida woman accused of firing a rifle at Rihanna’s home earlier this year—Ivanna Ortiz. 35. identified in court as a speech pathologist—has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.. During a Wednesday court appearance. her attorney said he had “doubts” about Ortiz’s competence to stand trial. raising questions that can reshape how a criminal case proceeds when mental fitness is at issue.
Ortiz’s defense argued in court that she may be mentally unfit.. The claim was presented to Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shannon Cooley after a closed-door hearing. but the judge ultimately decided there was not substantial evidence that Ortiz was incompetent.. Cooley ordered that criminal proceedings continue.
The public defender’s office declined to comment outside the courtroom, and it was reported that the judge sealed discussion about Ortiz’s mental health. Her attorney, Derek Dillman, also did not provide specific details about the concerns during portions of the hearing that were open to the public.
Prosecutors’ account describes a broader scene of chaos once gunfire began on March 8 at Rihanna’s Beverly Crest property.. It was reported that shots fired by Ortiz struck Rihanna’s home. a neighbor’s residence. and an Airstream parked on the grounds.. No injuries were reported in connection with the shooting itself.
Rihanna and her husband, hip-hop artist and actor ASAP Rocky, were inside the Airstream at the time it was hit.. In a police report referenced in a late-March court filing. Rihanna said Rocky was sleeping when she suddenly heard a series of loud bangs like metal being struck.. When the shooting stopped. she said she pulled Rocky from bed. told him they were being shot at. and pushed both of them to the ground before they ran to the house to check on their children.
The hearing also included a dispute between Ortiz and her attorney.. Earlier Wednesday. Ortiz sought to remove Dillman from the case during a closed-door proceeding before Cooley. but it was reported that the attempt was blocked. apparently because Dillman was still representing her as of late Wednesday morning.
Ortiz later continued to spar with Dillman after he tried to schedule a future hearing for July. According to the report, Ortiz demanded that he “do it sooner,” adding to the tense tone inside the courtroom as the legal process moved ahead.
After Dillman raised concern about Ortiz’s mental health. Cooley cleared the courtroom so she could question the attorney regarding evidence that was said to relate to Ortiz’s purported condition.. The report also noted that when defense attorneys raise questions about a defendant’s mental fitness. courts often refer those matters to a mental health court in Hollywood.
Prosecutors said they had never seen a comparable sequence of events. Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott, who is handling the case, told the court he had not encountered anything like what occurred Wednesday, according to the report.
In describing the days leading up to the shooting. the report said Ortiz made disparaging posts about Rihanna on social media in the weeks before the attack.. Prosecutors and law enforcement have also tied those online statements to the case narrative. while the defense’s competence arguments represent a separate legal track centered on the accused’s ability to participate meaningfully in court.
After the shooting, Ortiz was arrested in Sherman Oaks about an hour later, according to the police report. It was reported that she was carrying a black Springfield Armory rifle and two 30-round rifle magazines. Court records cited in the report said Ortiz legally owned the firearm.
Ortiz declined to answer specific questions from police after her arrest. but she did make a brief statement to investigators when asked if she could say anything.. The report said she asked. “Can I say one sentence?” and then stated she did not want to claim she was attempting murder. according to what investigators recorded.
As the judge denied a finding of incompetence and allowed the case to continue. the proceeding leaves in place the larger question of how mental fitness concerns will affect future hearings.. Even without a formal pause or dismissal at this stage. sealed discussions and a judge’s determination that the evidence did not meet the threshold mean the defense’s concerns may continue to shape how the case is argued.
For now. prosecutors remain tasked with litigating the underlying allegations—that Ortiz fired at a high-profile residence where Rihanna and ASAP Rocky were present in an Airstream—and the defense is still contesting the charges through a not-guilty plea as the case moves forward under court supervision.
Rihanna home shooting Ivanna Ortiz attempted murder mental fitness Los Angeles court ASAP Rocky
wait rihanna lives in an airstream now??
this is exactly why celebrities need way more security honestly. people are obsessed and it gets dangerous real fast. glad nobody got hurt but this could have gone so much worse and its scary to think about.
So was Rihanna okay or not? The headline sounds scary.
a speech pathologist tho?? like thats not what i expected at all. you would think someone educated like that would have it together but i guess money and a degree dont mean anything when it comes to mental stuff. still doesnt excuse what she did though. she shot at multiple houses not just rihannas and the media is barely even talking about the neighbor whose house got hit too, nobody cares about regular people i guess.
If no one got hurt then what even is the big deal? Meanwhile they’re talking about mental fitness like that means she should just get off. Idk.
ok so the judge already said she IS mentally fit but her lawyer is still trying to use that as a defense?? thats literally just what defense attorneys do when they got nothing else to work with, they always pull the mental card. and now the whole case is gonna drag on for like two years while taxpayers foot the bill. this woman flew all the way from Florida to shoot at someones house and we’re supposed to feel bad for her because she might be a little stressed or whatever. my cousin went through something similar not with a celebrity but with a stalker situation and the courts took forever and it was a nightmare for the whole family. the system is just broken at every level and cases like this prove it every single time.
Speech pathologist?? That feels like one of those “wait, what” cases. I don’t get how the judge said there wasn’t enough evidence of incompetence but still doubts were raised. Also the article says sealed stuff so like… how are we supposed to know what’s real?
Man court hearings are always weird. They said she pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon but also no injuries, so it’s basically just shots and paperwork? And they’re continuing proceedings anyway, so what was the point of the mental fitness question? Seems like they’re arguing over her “competence” instead of the actual incident at Rihanna’s place, which is kinda wild.