D4vd's lawyers grilled LAPD criminalists on Thursday during day three of the preliminary hearing in Celeste Rivas' murder case. Celeste's mom broke down in tears while the singer remained stone-faced. DNA testimony and soiled clothing details dominated the session.
Blair Berk questioned criminalist Lauren Wallace about unswabbed chainsaws and jugs of fake blood found in the home. Wallace noted negative presumptive tests on the tools and said D4vd's DNA would be expected throughout the residence he shared with others.
Samantha Tosch testified that red stains in the Tesla trunk and garage produced DNA profiles consistent with Celeste at extremely high odds. A partial profile on a garage floor mat also matched, while wipes inside a trash bag were three trillion times more likely to be hers.
An LAPD trace evidence analyst described Celeste's clothing as soaked, insect-covered, and heavily soiled upon arrival, preventing a reliable fabric match from a recovered black piece. Dark and medium-blue fragments were noted visually but never compared.
Prosecutors allege D4vd stabbed the 14-year-old in his Hollywood Hills home in April 2025 before dismembering her body, which was found in September inside a Tesla registered to him. He has pleaded not guilty.
