Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts in connection with the beating of his girlfriend Rihanna, and a preliminary hearing has been set for April 29.
Not guilty? Not guilty of an uppercut to her toe, maybe. All other areas were apparently fair game, judging from the photos released after he went 10 rounds on her alien 5-head.
The R&B star, dressed in a black suit, arrived about 30 minutes after his scheduled 3 p.m. arraignment in Los Angeles to a bevy of news cameras and photographers.
Flanked by his lawyer, Mark Geragos, Brown entered a not guilty plea to assault likely to cause great bodily harm and making criminal threats in the alleged Feb. 8 altercation, in which the singer allegedly punched, choked, and threatened to kill Rihanna just hours before their scheduled performance at the Grammys, according to a search warrant affidavit.
If convicted, Brown, 19, faces anywhere from probation to a maximum four years and eight months in state prison, prosecutors say. However, legal experts tell People.com that he will likely accept a plea deal on lesser charges with anywhere from a 30- to 180-day jail sentence and three to five years probation.
"A plea deal would be the quickest and least messy way to end this case," says L.A. criminal defense attorney Jeffery Rubenstein, who's not involved with the case. "It would also let Rihanna off the hook from testifying in court."
Rihanna's attorney Donald Etra told reporters outside the courtroom, "Nothing's changed with regard to Rihanna's stance toward this case ... She will testify if subpoenaed and will do everything that's required of her to do."
Currently the singer, is "doing fine," says Etra. "She's in Barbados now with her family."
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