D4vd faces a preliminary hearing this week where prosecutors will present DNA evidence, text messages, and purchase records in the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
D4vd faces a critical week in court as prosecutors prepare to lay out their case against the 21-year-old singer in the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The preliminary hearing kicks off July 21 before Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo, and what unfolds over the next several days will determine whether there’s enough evidence to send this case to trial.
Prosecutors are bringing the heat with DNA evidence, surveillance footage, text messages, phone records, and purchase receipts they say paint a clear picture of what happened.
The charges are severe. D4vd is facing first-degree murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and unlawful mutilation of human remains.
Join Us
AllHipHop’s Daily News Service
Delivering news to inboxes since 1999. We break it. They take it. Get it first, straight from AllHipHop.
According to prosecutors, the relationship between D4vd and Celeste started when she was just 13 years old, and it became sexual shortly after.
By April 2025, things escalated when Celeste allegedly threatened to expose their relationship and destroy his music career, which was on the verge of major success with his debut album about to drop.
According to TMZ, prosecutors claim D4vd invited Celeste to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and murdered her that same day.
They allege he stabbed her multiple times and then used a chainsaw to dismember her body, placing the remains in an inflatable pool to contain the blood.
Her severed limbs were stuffed into garbage bags and body bags, which were later found in the trunk of his Tesla when the vehicle was towed to an impound lot in September 2025.
The evidence prosecutors plan to present includes Amazon purchase records showing D4vd ordered two chainsaws, body bags, heavy-duty laundry bags, and a blue inflatable pool using a fake name.
They’ve also recovered text messages showing Celeste threatening to expose him, and location data placing him in remote areas of Santa Barbara County multiple times after the alleged murder.
DNA samples collected from his garage matched Celeste’s profile, and blue plastic fragments from the inflatable pool were found embedded in her remains.
D4vd has pleaded not guilty through his defense team, which includes attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter.
They’ve maintained that the evidence won’t support the charges when examined closely.
The judge’s decision this week will determine whether the case moves forward to trial, where D4vd could potentially face the death penalty if convicted on the special circumstance allegations.
As reported by ABC7, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office hasn’t yet decided whether to pursue capital punishment in this case.
This article was originally published on allhiphop.com.
