The California singer, accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl, appeared in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday for the first day of a preliminary hearing. The hearing is expected to clear the way for the case to go to trial.
The singer, who performs under the name "D4vd," is accused of killing a teen girl named Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Prosecutors say her unrecognizable remains were found chopped up and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla, abandoned 400 feet up the street from his home in Hollywood Hills. Two of her fingers, which contained identifying tattoos, were never recovered.
The singer faces charges of murder, child sex abuse, and unlawful mutilation of human remains. Prosecutors allege that he first met the victim when she was 11 and began molesting her in November 2023, when she was 13 and he was 18.
A Los Angeles homicide detective took the stand to discuss the grisly scene. The detective testified about finding maggots, flies, and other liquid matter at the crime scene. The victim's parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, were in the gallery and appeared to be shaken by the testimony.
The singer showed no visible reaction during the detective's testimony. Prosecutors expect to call 10 witnesses, including members of the police department and coroner's office, throughout the preliminary hearing.
Prosecutors allege that the singer and the victim spent a significant amount of time together in 2024. They claim that he flew the child to Las Vegas, London, and Texas and introduced her to his family. However, they "broke up" in November of that year, and the victim threatened to expose their relationship.
The singer allegedly concocted a plan to cover up the murder by sending text messages to the victim's phone asking where she was. The morning after the murder, he sat for a radio interview about his forthcoming album, during which he discussed "losing relationships" and how he could turn the losses into songs.
