Los Angeles Prosecutors Indict Singer D4vd for Murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Los Angeles County prosecutors formally indicted the singer D4vd on Monday, April 20, charging him with the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposed body was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered in his name in Los Angeles, United States.

“Finds child sexual abuse material on rapper D4vd's phone, accused of murdering a teenage girl The musician faces a possible death penalty for the body found in the trunk of his car The American singer D4vd, suspected of having killed a teenage girl whose decomposed body was found in his car, had content involving child sexual abuse (child pornography) on his phone, Los Angeles County prosecutors revealed on Thursday”

ABC

The indictment followed D4vd’s arrest on April 17 by Los Angeles police after seven months of investigation, and he pleaded not guilty in court, with his defense formally pleading not guilty during his appearance before a Los Angeles court.

ABC

Nathan Hochman, the Los Angeles district attorney, said the charges include “the most serious charges, first-degree murder with special circumstances,” and he clarified that “Dichas circunstancias especiales son: actuar con alevosía (acecho), cometer el crimen con fines de lucro o asesinar a un testigo en el marco de una investigación.”

Hochman also said the case involves Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was 13 when she was reported missing in 2024 in Lake Elsinore (California), and whose body was found on September 8, a day before what would have been her decimoquinto cumpleaños.

D4vd, 21, was detained without bail after police detained him in his home in West Hollywood, and he remains in custody while prosecutors say they intend to present physical evidence as well as forensic and digital evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

An autopsy report released on Wednesday said Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl at the center of the case, died from penetrating injuries to the upper body, and the Los Angeles County coroner's office classified the death as a homicide.

The report described two penetrating wounds to the chest with clean edges that could be consistent with injuries caused by a sharp object, including one wound that penetrated the liver and another that damaged her ribs.

ABC7 Los Angeles

L’actualité reported that the upper tube she was wearing appeared to have been cut in three places, and it said prosecutors agreed to permit the report’s release after a judge had ordered it sealed at the end of last year at the request of law enforcement.

In court, ABC reported that during a preliminary hearing prosecutor Beth Silverman stated that the artist’s iPhone records revealed “a significant amount of child pornography,” and the article said the defense declined to comment after the hearing.

ABC also said Los Angeles forensic services concluded the teenager’s death was a homicide caused by “multiple stab wounds,” while the family said it was “absolutely devastated” by the medical examiner’s report and asked the press to “respect their privacy.”

Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s family publicly rejected rumors that she accepted money or struck a financial agreement with D4vd, with her father Jesus Rivas saying he has never had any contact with D4vd and that the family “has received no money” from the singer or his entourage.

“LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- On Wednesday, new and disturbing details were revealed in court documents, coinciding with the musician D4vd's appearance before a judge; these details paint a macabre picture of the case the prosecution is building against the singer for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernández, a 14-year-old girl”

ABC7 Los Angeles

Through their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, the family emphasized that they are primarily trying to mourn and cope with the media pressure while enduring the spread of false information online, and the case remains under investigation with D4vd continuing to deny the charges and having pleaded not guilty.

In parallel, ABC reported that prosecutors said D4vd could face the death penalty for the murder, and it said the indictment alleges he killed and dismembered Rivas and stored her remains in bags left rotting in the trunk of his Tesla.

El HuffPost reported that D4vd was detained by Los Angeles police and remains in prison without the possibility of release on bail, and it said the case generated public attention after human remains were found in a Tesla linked to the musician.

Le Monde.fr added that D4vd remains in custody and that a new appearance before a judge was scheduled for Thursday, while it also said the Los Angeles prosecutor did not detail the circumstances of Celeste Rivas’s death but said there is physical evidence as well as forensic and digital evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.