Man accused of breaking into Rihanna’s home and spending 12 hours inside faces stalking, other charges

A Fullerton man was charged Monday with stalking and other felonies after authorities say he broke into singer Rihanna’s Hollywood Hills home and spent about 12 hours inside.

Eduardo Leon, 26, faces one felony count each of stalking, first-degree residential burglary and vandalism, along with one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors said Leon hopped Rihanna’s fence on May 9 and spent the night at her home. He was found by the entertainer’s assistant.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office would not say what Leon was doing in the home, but the criminal complaint alleges that he destroyed Rihanna’s home security system, causing more than $400 in damage.

The complaint also alleges that between May 4 and 10, Leon repeatedly followed and harassed Rihanna and “made a credible threat with the intent that she be placed in reasonable fear for her safety.” Details about the threat were not immediately available.

If convicted, Leon faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison.

Rihanna was not home at the time of the break-in. Two days earlier, the singer attended the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala in New York wearing an extravagant, papal-inspired outfit.

The LAPD’s Commercial Crimes Division has investigated at least a dozen celebrity home break-ins since October 2016.

In 2017, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry and cash were stolen from the homes of singer Mariah Carey, comedian David Spade, actresses Hilary Duff and Emmy Rossum, hip-hop star A$AP Rocky and reality television personality Kendall Jenner.

Thieves took more than $2 million in jewelry from the Brentwood mansion of singer Alanis Morissette. Sports stars including Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and former Lakers guard Nick Young have also been targets.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

UPDATES:

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect Leon pleaded not guilty and include additional details from the criminal complaint.

This article was originally published at 4:45 p.m.