Photo Credit:Associated Press
A significant development has occurred in the case surrounding the death of 15-year- old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to singer David Anthony Burke, known as D4vd. Reports indicate that an uncooperative female witness is set to be arrested and compelled to testify before a grand jury investigating the case.
The remains of Celeste Rivas were found in a “severely decomposed” state inside a bag in the front trunk (frunk) of D4vd’s impounded Tesla in September. The car was found in a Los Angeles towing yard after it had been ticketed and towed from the Hollywood Hills area, where it had been abandoned for several weeks. Rivas had been reported missing since 2024.
Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman, who is presenting the case to a grand jury, reportedly requested that the judge issue a body attachment order for a female witness. This order seeks to force her testimony after she failed to appear for a scheduled appearance. The woman’s identity has not been publicly released.
The move to compel this testimony signals an aggressive phase in the homicide investigation. Authorities are reportedly treating D4vd, who has not been charged with any crime, as a suspect in the death, and an LAPD source suggested he has not been cooperative. Investigators are exploring the theory that D4vd may have had help dismembering and disposing of Rivas’s body and that the remains may have been “refrigerated” before being placed in the car. Police, however, have disputed earlier reports that the body was “partially frozen.”
D4vd's day-to-day manager, Robert Morgenroth, has already spent three days testifying before the grand jury. He is also the general manager of the singer’s record label and president of his touring company. Following his initial testimony, Morgenroth allegedly told his attorney that the prosecutor “was very pushy on why I didn’t call police,” to which he reportedly replied that he “didn’t have the responsibility to do that, and just wanted to continue with the tour.”
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has yet to determine the cause or manner of Rivas’s death, meaning it remains unclear if there is criminal culpability beyond the concealment of a dead body. Despite this, the grand jury proceedings and the forced testimony of the uncooperative witness indicate that authorities are actively pursuing the case to uncover the truth and seek justice for Celeste Rivas Hernandez.