D4vd lawyers question DNA evidence in murder case

Lawyers for rapper D4vd have raised questions over DNA evidence in the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas. The legal team pressed police during a hearing on Thursday, the third day of a preliminary court session, which will determine whether there is enough cause to bring the artist to trial on charges of murder, sexual abuse of a minor, and dismemberment of a corpse. D4vd has pleaded not guilty to the allegations. His attorneys have vowed to vigorously defend his innocence. During the interrogation, defense lawyer Blair Berk focused on two chainsaws found in the singer’s garage, which prosecutors claim were used to dismember Rivas. Criminalist Lauren Wallace of the Los Angeles Police Department stated that initial tests did not show signs of blood on the tools, so no DNA samples were taken. “ If an object has someone else's DNA, you wouldn't see it at that moment,” Berk argued. Wallace responded, “No, you can’t see DNA through contact,” and reiterated that the blades tested negative for blood. Under questioning from prosecutors, Wallace admitted that analyzing DNA within the suspect’s residence would be pointless since it would be everywhere. Berk then asked, “Did you know several people lived in this residence?” Wallace confirmed, “Yes, we knew.” Earlier, Wallace had testified that she found signs of cleaned-up blood throughout the garage. A police detective also testified that cell tower data showed D4vd was at his home on April 23, 2025, the night prosecutors allege Rivas was killed. Later that evening, he traveled to a remote area of Santa Barbara County, approximately 152 kilometers away. The detective noted he made two subsequent visits to the area in May, including one to a location where a road worker discovered Rivas’s passport. Prosecutors aim to establish that D4vd began a sexual relationship with Rivas when she was 13 years old and he was 18. In a court filing, they claimed she became jealous of his relationships with other women and threatened to expose him and ruin his multi-million-dollar career the night before her death. The filing states that D4vd sent a car to pick her up on the night of April 23, 2025, and stabbed her upon her arrival at his home. According to prosecutors, the body was kept in the front trunk of his Tesla for weeks or months before being found after the vehicle was towed four and a half months later, in September. The discovery of the body led to the current investigation into D4vd’s alleged involvement in Rivas’s death. The case continues to unfold as both sides present their arguments in court.