Grant Ho, who performed postmortem examination, said he identified two stab wounds on 14-year-old’s bodyThe autopsy of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s body took center stage on Friday as a hearing continued to determine whether musician D4vd will stand trial for murder charges linked to her death.Prosecutors say the singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, fatally stabbed Hernandez last April to silence her from divulging the sexual nature of their relationship as his career soared. He was 18 and she was 13 when the sexual abuse began, according to prosecutors. LOS ANGELES (AP) — The doctor who performed the autopsy on 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez gave the difficult details of her death Friday at a hearing to determine whether singer D4vd should go on trial in her killing.Much of what Dr.
Grant Ho of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said on the stand was already known: She had been killed by two sharp force wounds to her upper body and her dismembered, decomposing body was found in the trunk of a Tesla.But the details he shared of what the autopsy showed — and tellingly, what it was unable to determine because of how degraded her body was when it was found — made Friday's proceedings perhaps the most difficult so far. Photos shown from the autopsy brought uncomfortable shifting in seats and murmurs in the courtroom.The defense seized on the uncertainties to suggest there might have been other causes of death, including an overdose or self-inflicted injuries.The preliminary hearing began on Tuesday, and will be used by a judge to decide if the case should go to trial.Rivas Hernandez's parents were in the building but stayed outside the courtroom for the autopsy testimony. D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, sat next to his lawyers in orange jail clothes and glasses, and did not show any emotion during the testimony.Rivas Hernandez's body was discovered in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September, nearly five months after authorities said Rivas Hernandez was killed.Autopsy conclusions were hard to reachHo testified that he could not say when the death occurred — one of many challenges brought on by the body's degradation.“It’s extremely difficult to tell,” Ho said.He said she had been dead for “at least weeks.” Asked by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman whether it could have been four to five months, he said “potentially.” Authorities believe she was killed in April 2025; her body was discovered last September.Rivas Hernandez was found the day after she would have turned 15.“She didn’t make it to her 15th birthday, correct?” Silverman asked.
“Correct,” Ho replied.Ho said there were many “skin defects” that could have been postmortem, but the two he identified as potential stab wounds had related internal trauma. One wound on the abdomen penetrated her liver. Another, on the left chest, damaged her ribs.Ho said, “it would take minutes, at least,” for someone to lose eno…
But the details he shared of what the autopsy showed — and tellingly, what it was unable to determine because of how degraded her body was when it was found — made Friday’s proceedings perhaps the most difficult so far. The defense seized on the uncertainties to suggest there might have been other causes of death, including an overdose or self-inflicted injuries. The preliminary hearing began on Tuesday, and will be used by a judge to decide if the case should go to trial.
Rivas Hernandez’s parents were in the building but stayed outside the courtroom for the autopsy testimony. Rivas Hernandez’s body was discovered in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills in September, nearly five months after authorities said Rivas Hernandez was killed. Autopsy conclusions were hard to reach Ho testified that he could not say when the death occurred — one of many challenges brought on by the body’s degradation.
“It’s extremely difficult to tell,” Ho said. He said she had been dead for “at least weeks.” Asked by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman whether it could have been four to five months, he said “potentially.” Authorities believe she was killed in April 2025; her body was discovered last September. Rivas Hernandez was found the day after she would have turned 15.
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