Chris Brown Goes To Court; Rihanna Stands By Her Man...Again
Rihanna and Chris the night of the fight, after the Annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party
Singer Chris Brown had his day in court on Thursday, answering to charges that he gave his girlfriend Rihanna a serious beatdown:
Chris Brown appeared at Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday (March 5) but did not enter a plea on two felony counts of assault and making criminal threats, stemming from his alleged altercation with girlfriend Rihanna on February 8. Rather, at the request of attorney Mark Geragos, Brown was granted a continuance in the case, meaning his arraignment has been pushed back until April 6. [...]After granting Brown's continuance request, the judge ordered the 19-year-old singer "not to annoy, harass, molest, threaten or use force or violence against anyone," before asking Geragos if there were a "no-contact order" in place, to which he replied, "Miss Fenty does not request such an order."
Outside the courtroom, Etra told E! News that Rihanna did not need a no-contact order and that the 21-year-old singer "is doing well, and she is making sure her rights are protected at every stage of the proceedings. ... What will happen to Chris Brown is up to the district attorney in court."
If Brown is convicted on the felony charges, his sentence could range from probation to up to four years in prison, CNN quoted the DA's office as saying.
It seems the judge issued what is known as a Level One Order, which means that the two can talk and see one another but he can't do something like threaten, hit, or fight with her without serious legal repercussions. Rihanna did not appear in court, although her name did come up; it seems that for the trial to move ahead, Rihanna may have to testify against Chris, even though she seems to have forgiven him:
"So much of [the trial] hinges on the testimony of the victim or her willingness to testify and it'll be interesting to see whether she cooperates with the prosecution or not," he told reporters outside the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse this afternoon. "If she refuses to testify they're probably not going to be able to get in whatever statements she's already made to the police and then they have no case probably." Continued on the next page
