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As Los Angeles prosecutors attempted to show that there’s enough evidence to put singer D4vd on trial for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Day 2 of the pretrial hearing went underway in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday.
After the prosecution questioned the business associates of D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department took the stand, describing in detail what they witnessed and discovered when they combed through a Tesla registered to Burke and a Hollywood Hills home the singer had rented.
Air fresheners inside 2023 Tesla Model X
Chelsea Murillo, a criminalist with the LAPD, testified that she responded to the Hollywood tow yard where Rivas Hernandez’s mutilated body was found inside the black Tesla registered to Burke on Sept. 9, 2026.
When Murillo arrived at the tow yard, Rivas Hernandez’s body had already been taken to the medical examiner’s office. But the investigator said she noticed “a strong odor” coming from the car, adding that it resembled the smell of a decomposing body “based on (her) professional experience.”
When she approached the vehicle for the examination, she saw multiple air fresheners inside the vhicle.
“I gathered at least 11 air fresheners,” Murillo said. “Majority of them (were) in the center console, also in the rear seats, also in the frunk area.”
Tesla trunk lighting in blue
The criminalist said after the LAPD photographer took overall photos, she began marking red stains inside the vehicle.
Murillo said after seeing red stains in the lower compartment of the rear truck, she used a chemical reagent called phenolphthalein to confirm the red spots were indeed blood. And to find invisible blood traces, she said she conducted a chemical test called Bluestar.
When sprayed, Bluestar, a luminol-based forensic reagent, reacts with iron in hemoglobin to produce a bright blue luminescent glow, allowing investigators to confirm the existence of blood.
Prosecutors presented a photo of the lower compartment glowing with blue light.
Murillo also testified the third-row seats of the SUV and its left-side paneling showed luminescence after being sprayed with Bluestar.
The investigator also confirmed some of the samples she swabbed from the lower rear trunk came back positive not just for blood but also for Rivas Hernandez’s DNA.
Stains, blue-light luminescence inside garage
Lauren Wallace, Murillo’s colleague, also took the stand, testifying what she witnessed while examining the garage of a Hollywood Hills home rented by Burke on Sept. 17, 2025.
Although Wallace saw two chainsaws in the garage, chemical tests confirmed it did not contain any traces of blood.
But she said she came across unusual items: black interlocking floor mats with apparent cuts that may have been made by a sharp object or instrument.
As the prosecution showed a picture of one of the seven damaged rubber floor mats, Wallace confirmed that the mat had bloodstains after phenolphthalein testing.
Even in areas of the mats where no visible bloodstains could be seen, the investigator testified that Bluestar produced a positive reaction consistent with the presence of blood. Some people inside the downtown Los Angeles courtroom gasped as prosecutors displayed a photo of the mats glowing blue.
A rowing machine and a Tesla charging plug also confirmed to have bloodstains, Wallace said.
Inflatable pool with traces of blood
Crime scene investigators found trash bags and tarps inside the garage.
Phenolphthalein testing confirmed the trash bag — inside and out — had bloodstains, including the stains that appeared more brown at the time of the examination.
When investigators located green tarps, they sprayed Bluestar and notice bright blue light, Wallace said.
A blue inflatable pool was also found in the garage. When investigators opened the item, which had been crumpled up in a ball, it smells like fresh laundry, Wallace observed. She said there were no visual stains, but it reacted to Bluestar and show luminescence.
A dryer sheet was rolled up inside the inflatable pool, Wallace said.
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