R&B star Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he beat his pop-singing girlfriend Rihanna during a lovers’ quarrel that spilled into a Los Angeles street.
In a soft voice, the 19-year-old platinum-selling artist entered his plea in LA Superior Court to felony charges of assault and making criminal threats. Rihanna, 21, who has reportedly accepted Brown back as her beau, skipped the hearing, but sent her lawyer, Donald Etra. Dressed in black tuxedo pants and a black cardigan sweater, Brown stood next to his lawyer, Mark Geragos. Brown’s mother,
Joyce Hawkins, sat in the front row, her eyes red rimmed as she watched Geragos coach her son through the plea hearing. Brown was ordered to return to court April 29 for another hearing. If convicted, Brown faces a 5-year prison sentence. Brown’s lawyers have been in “intense” negotiations to over a plea deal that would spare the jail time. Prosecutors declined comment. Etra said that Rihanna, who flew to her native Barbados earlier Monday for a family celebration, “would be pleased if this were over quickly.”
“I believe that there are efforts on behalf of all of the parties to resolve the case the expeditiously, to see if the case can be resolved prior to preliminary hearing,” Etra said. “I think that would benefit everybody.”
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