Felony charges for Chris Brown

However, it’s possible that this case will never get that far. According to E!, Brown’s high-power lawyer Mark Geragos met with the D.A. on Monday to discuss a possible plea deal. Under the terms of the proposed agreement, Brown would plead guilty to a misdemeanor and avoid jail time — the best-case scenario for his career, as he’d avoid the drama of a public trial.

The D.A. had initially sought evidence Brown committed a felony, and at first it seemed like Rihanna would cooperate with the investigation. But given the reports that Brown and Rihanna reconciled and reunited last weekend in Florida, it’s unlikely she would testify against Brown, leaving the district attorneys without their lone witness to the crime. However, since reconciliation is a common occurrence in domestic violence cases and the victim often refuses to testify, the D.A. could use Rihanna’s crime scene statements, as well as that “shocking" photograph of her facial injuries and other evidence gathered the night of the altercation in place of her taking the stand.

So how did word of the couple’s reconciliation hit the streets, anyway? Page 6 is reporting Brown and his camp alerted the media themselves. “Chris tipped off the photographers. He needs it to be out there that he and Rihanna are back together," a source said. “His only chance for a career was if she got back together with him, and he wanted people to see them there." A rep for Brown said, “To my knowledge this is not true."