Chris Brown, 19, pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles court to two felony counts. The hearing was held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The rapper dressed conservatively in shirt, tie, sweater and slack, all in shades of black. He was followed into the courtroom by his mother and high profile lawyer Mark Geragos.
Brown is alleged to have punched, chocked and threatened to kill singer Rihanna on February 8, 2009. When asked for his plea by Judge Patricia Schnegg, he responded “not guilty” in a low voice.
If convicted, Brown could end up serving four years and eight months in state prison. It appears a plea deal is in the works between the two sides. Rihanna’s lawyer Donald Etra said yesterday, “I believe there are efforts by all parties involved to resolve this case expeditiously. It would be beneficial to everyone. Rihanna would be pleased if this case were resolved quickly and fairly.”
Geragos asked the judge for more time to wrap up the ‘discovery’ phase of their case. She set the next court hearing for April 29.
Brown and Geragos were photographed heading back to his law office after the proceedings. See those photos below as well as raw video from the court hearing.
Photos: WENN