A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday transferred the criminal case against a Florida woman accused of attempting to murder singer Rihanna to mental health court for an evaluation into whether she is competent to stand trial.
“It is the ethical obligation of counsel and the court to ensure that Ms. Ortiz’s rights are protected, including being able to assist counsel in conducting a defense in a rational manner,” Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman said in a statement.
The ruling pauses the prosecution against 35-year-old Ivanna Lisette Ortiz while psychiatric evaluations are conducted to determine whether she can understand the legal proceedings and assist in her defense.
Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to 14 criminal charges stemming from a shooting outside Rihanna’s Los Angeles-area home earlier this month. The charges include one count of attempted murder and 10 felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
During a meeting held in a judge’s chambers, Dillman raised concerns about his client’s mental competence, prompting Judge Shannon K. Cooley to order the evaluations and temporarily move the matter to a specialized Hollywood mental health court that handles competency proceedings.
The court’s role will be to determine whether Ortiz is mentally fit to proceed through trial.
Ortiz previously appeared in the Los Angeles Superior Court wearing yellow jail attire while her attorney entered a not guilty plea on her behalf. Judge Theresa McGonigle at the time denied a request to lower Ortiz’s bail, which had been set at $1.875 million, and also barred her from working as a licensed speech therapist in California while the case remains pending.
Prosecutors allege Ortiz drove to Rihanna’s home in the Beverly Crest neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon and fired about 20 rounds toward the property while the singer, rapper A$AP Rocky, and their three children were inside. No injuries were reported.
“This is the kind of conduct that easily could have resulted in numerous homicides,” Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said during an earlier court hearing.
Authorities said Ortiz fled after the shooting but was later arrested in Los Angeles. Prosecutors alleged that investigators found a rifle and a wig believed to be used as a disguise inside her vehicle.
Police were initially called to the neighborhood after reports of gunfire near the gated property. Television footage aired by KABC showed apparent bullet holes in the home’s front gate.
If Ortiz is ultimately found incompetent to stand trial, she could be committed indefinitely to a state hospital until she is deemed mentally capable of facing the charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.